17
Apr

Angel Hair Pasta with Peas, Tomatoes and Garlic ~ Recipe

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a recipe here on the blog, so I thought I would share a simple dinner that we had last week.  Pasta is my go-to dinner when I want something quick, easy and satisfying.  This easy pasta dish can be prepared in about 15-20 minutes!
Angel Hair with Peas, Tomatoes and Garlic
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 lb. Angel Hair pasta
1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz) with garlic and olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese plus more, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.  Add canned tomatoes and a quarter cup of starchy cooking liquid (from pasta pot) and cook for five to seven minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste.  Add frozen peas and cook for 1-2 minutes or until peas are warmed through. 

Drain pasta.  Add pasta to skillet with tomato and pea mixture.  Top with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or however much you like).  Toss pasta with tongs. Serve in bowl with additional sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper on top.

Enjoy!

Cottage Mama’s Note:  If you can’t find canned tomatoes with olive oil and garlic, try substituting Italian seasoned tomatoes or just use plain diced tomatoes.  During the summer months try using diced, fresh tomatoes to take advantage of the delicious seasonal ingredients that are available.

16
Apr

Muffin Tin Monday – Creating Non-Picky Eaters

So as of recently ‘Muffin Tin Monday’ is what we’ve been doing for lunch around here each Monday afternoon.  Have you heard of this?  Well, just Google ‘Muffin Tin Monday’ and you will find a million and one pictures of this idea. 

Basically you just use a muffin tin, load it up with a variety of different foods and serve the muffin tin as your child’s plate for lunch (or dinner).  Pretty easy, right?

Here’s what was in our muffin tin this past week:

Starting from the top left, moving to the right:

1. Woven Wheat Crackers
2. Peas
3. Sliced Banana
4. Tortilla Chips
5. Carrots
6. Shredded Cheese
7. Ham
8. Cherrios
9. Marshmallows
10. Turkey
11. Raisins
12. Clementines

This might look like a lot of food, but would you believe my four year old ate almost every single thing out of her muffin tin?  Yep, my girls have serious appetites……kind of like their mama.  You could certainly do this with a 6-cup muffin tin or use a mini-muffin tin as well.

The girls thought it was so fun to try all of these different foods, though most of them are ones they have had before.  Luckily my kids have pretty diverse tastes, but Matilda can be a little picky at times.  This offers kids a fun way to try some new things without the added pressure of it being a large portion of their meal.  Not to mention the fact that it’s a good way for parents to incorporate lots of different food groups in their kids diets.  And really, who wouldn’t want to eat their lunch out of a muffin tin?

For the most part I post pretty pictures of my children here on the blog, but my girls are so darn silly when I pull out the camera, so I thought I would share some ‘out-takes’ during this last Muffin Tin Monday.  Here are the girls (and no, I did not tell them to make any of these faces):

 ‘Savannah, I can’t believe it’s Muffin Tin Monday!’

 Matilda’s Pirate Face

 ‘Oh my, I LOVE Muffin Tin Monday’

Probably my favorite with Savannah’s silly face poking into the picture.

Do you do Muffin Tin Monday around your house? 
 If so, what are some little finger foods your kiddos love to eat?
And if you haven’t tried Muffin Tin Monday, give it a whirl…….I bet your kids will love it!
Happy Monday!
13
Apr

The Handmade Business: Where to Start?

So you want to start a handmade business?  The first question to really think about is ‘what are you going to make to sell?’.  Or maybe you have a handmade business already but your products don’t seem to be getting the attention you had hoped.

First, ask yourself this, what do you enjoy creating?  

That is the MOST important question in starting a handmade business.  If you do not enjoy what you are doing, then you will not be happy creating the pieces for your shop and you will burn out very quickly.  Handmade takes time and effort, so you must make sure you are having a good time.  The same goes for blogging.  Do not start a blog unless you are completely happy doing it whether you make money or not.  But we’ll have to address blogging on a different day……back to business.

So for me, I love creating children’s clothing.  But not just any children’s clothing. I love creating quality, lined garments with timeless looks, made from bright, fresh, modern fabrics with great attention to detail.  Adding woven trims, piping and lining garments really gets me excited.  It might sound a little strange to you if that is not your passion, but I love being able to add heirloom quality details to the children’s clothing I create.

I have been pulled off the path several times by creating the simple elastic neck dresses (which is fine if that’s what you love creating) because they sell, but when I get right down to it, if I’m not adding a lot of trim or embellishments to them, I just do not enjoy making them.  It’s very easy to veer off your original plan because something sells.  And if you are just looking to make money, then that is fine, but I tell you……..if you lack the passion behind your handmade business, it will eventually be reflected in your work.  However, if you are looking to go into your handmade business to make money AND live out your creative passion, you must stay true to yourself.

I am a firm believer in specialization when it comes to handmade businesses.  What do you want to be known for?  What is your niche?  There is nothing wrong with furthering your product offerings down the road once you have developed your customer base, but be very careful not to offer too many things right off the bat.  I encourage you to reflect upon yourself and think about these things:

~What types of products do you get excited about making?
~What products of yours do your friends and family talk about you making? What gets you compliments?
~What type of look do you naturally gravitate towards? Vintage, Modern, Classic, Retro, ect.? Brights, naturals, shabby chic, ect?
~Think about your personal style…….does that carry over into your work?
~Are there any products you do not enjoy making?
~Do you mind creating the same thing over and over or do you prefer one-of-a-kind pieces?
~What materials do you like to work with ~ textiles, beading, yarn, ect.?

When people visit The Cottage Mama, they are visiting my shop because they know I sell children’s clothing (and as of recently, children’s sewing patterns).  They are not expecting to see dish towels, purses, jewelry and just any ole thing I felt like making.  Though, I will tell you that I often get the urge to create things that are totally out of line with my shop, but I usually get those urges out of my system by creating the item and then either keeping it for my family or gifting it to someone else or sharing it on the blog.  As a creative person, branching out into other realms of creativity will (and should) happen to keep you fresh and inspired.  But remember, everything you make does not need to be sold in your shop.

So this is what I would like everyone to do this weekend.  Give yourself some time and truly visualize how you picture your handmade business.

~What are you selling?
~What feelings and emotions do you hope to evoke through your handmade products?
~What will you be happy creating?
~What is your true creative passion?

Once you have a clear picture of where you want to take your business, we can move onto the next step……….branding.
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have by leaving a comment.  I will try to answer everything for these posts in the comments section so everyone can share the answers.  Odds are, if you have a question, someone else does too.  Remember, I’m an open book and I am happy to help you in any way I know how.  Thanks for stopping by!
11
Apr

This Past Weeks Happenings….

Wow, is the week over yet?  I can’t believe it’s not Friday yet……..it seems like this week has been so crazy busy.  I spent this past weekend and last few days sewing up a storm in preparation for a photo shoot for my upcoming sewing patterns.  Not to mention spending some much needed time with my family celebrating Easter.

Garments for pattern photo shoot

Our photo shoot was today with Amy Tripple Photography and it went really well.  I have never used Amy before but she came highly recommended from a friend and I was so excited by the whole experience.  I think she and I might have been related in a past life.  Well, not really, but it’s so refreshing to meet another kindred creative soul and she was definitely that.

I wasn’t quite sure how the kids would do taking direction from someone they had never met before, but surprisingly they listened to her even more than me (go figure).  We had two little toddler boys join us for the shoot that were selected from The Cottage Mama Facebook Fan page.  They were absolutely adorable……exactly what I thought they would be.  I have yet to see any of the images, but I am so, so excited to see what Amy captured and to share these new creations with you all.

Saturday morning we went to a local Easter egg hunt that proved to be lots of fun.  We had taken Savannah to one in the past but it was just too crazy and the poor little lady only got one egg.  But this year we tried a different one and it worked out great.  They had a different section for each age group.  Matilda was in the 2-3 year olds, Savannah was in the 4-5 year olds and they also had a 6-8 year old section (though we don’t have anyone there yet).

Matilda’s Coat ~ post found HERE

Savannah’s Coat ~ post found HERE.

After the egg hunt we went exploring around this gorgeous park to take in the beauty of spring.

Cottage Mama (me) with my babies.

I took Sunday off completely to really enjoy and celebrate Easter with my family.  We attended Mass in the morning and had a lovely Easter brunch at a local seafood restaurant.

Matilda Party Dress (post HERE) and Savannah Orange Dress (post HERE)

I didn’t make any special Easter outfits this year, but all the kids had on something handmade.  I feel like we have quite a few special occasion handmade dresses hanging in the girls closet that I wanted to make sure they got plenty of wear.  Savannah wore her orange birthday dress and Matilda wore the ‘Party Dress’ (free pattern here) that was originally Savannah’s but now seems to fit her perfectly.

Caspian and his Godmother, Aunt Katie

Savannah and Matilda with Uncle Bryan and Aunt Abby

The kids with Gigi and Grumpy (Brett’s parents)

After brunch we took some family pictures by the river that runs right next to our house.  Sometimes I don’t think I really embrace and appreciate where we live.  We are very blessed to live in such beautiful surroundings and though, I sometimes long for something different, we really have so much beauty right in our own backyard.  I guess Easter has a way of making all things seem new again.

Finally we ended up back at our home for a final Easter egg hunt in the front yard while the adults watched on the front porch.  It might have been a busy weekend, but it sure was a great one!
We have had a wonderful last week and while I don’t have any new sewing/crafty stuff to share with you right now, I hope you like this little peak into our personal family life.  
9
Apr

Olay Total Effects Tone Correcting UV Moisturizer Review and a $50 Visa Gift Card Giveaway

I jump at the chance to try Olay products because they never seem to disappoint. I have tried other brands of facial moisturizers in the past but I always end up coming back to my Olay. So when I was offered the chance to try the new Olay® Total Effects Tone Correcting UV Moisturizer, I said sign me up!

I was so surprised when this product arrived — it really looks so cool. Granted, I don’t generally purchase a product based on appearance, but this presentation really caught my eye. It looks like swirled moisturizer and foundation all in one. I couldn’t wait to try this, so after my morning shower I gave it a whirl. My skin has been a little all over the place since the birth of my son, Caspian Finn. And with these chilly Chicago winters, staying moisturized is super important. I thought the moisturization factor was great and I didn’t feel like I needed to put anything else on.

Sometimes when I’m racing out the door to get Savannah to preschool, all I have time for is moisturizer. But what I thought was really great was that this product offered so much more than moisturization — it moisturized my skin and gave me an even, smooth-colored skin tone. Definite bonus! Not to mention the fact that the feel of my skin was awesome. Mr. Caspian is still waking up during the night. And while I haven’t had many issues in the past with circles under my eyes or eye-puffiness, I think baby number three is catching up with me. Many mornings I feel compelled to use concealer under my eyes but, again, I felt like this product took care of eye puffiness too.

One of my favorite components of Total Effects Tone Correcting UV Moisturizer is that it contains SPF 15, which definitely helps prevent damage to my skin. With a history of skin cancer in my family, I try to wear sunscreen on my face every day. For a busy mom on the go, I think this product is pretty near genius. I was trying to think of negative factors, but I couldn’t come up with a single one and, trust me, I’d tell you if I had. If all you have time for in the morning is sweeping some moisturizer on your face give Total Effects Tone Correcting UV Moisturizer a try — you’ll get seven benefits in the time it takes you to use just one product!
So tell me, what are some of the ways you take care of your skin? 
Do you save time by using double-duty types of products? 

Leave a comment below and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a $50 Visa gift card.
Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by email. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 4/9 – 5/16

Be sure to visit the Olay TE page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win! While we’re on the subject of looking good, you might want to check out the “Looking Your Best” posts in the Life Well Lived section of BlogHer.com. There are some great tips and expert posts!

I was compensated and provided free product for this post. The opinions expressed herein are my own.

6
Apr

Guest Blog Post: Woodland Cottage Pincushion ~ Free Pattern for Riley Blake Designs

Today I’m guest blogging over at Riley Blake Designs ‘Cutting Corners College’ sharing a free pattern and tutorial for the Woodland Cottage Pincushion.  The design was inspired by our very own cottage.  
Come on over and say hello……..

Click HERE to view the Woodland Cottage Pincushion at Riley Blake Designs.

3
Apr

So many things, so little time……

Just wanted to check in and let you know that I’m here.  I am super-busy right now trying to get my next three patterns published by next month.  So, I will apologize in advance for my lack of blogging over the next couple weeks.  I was really excited by your response to my handmade business series, so I definitely have some posts on those topics coming soon.  But for right now, I have to make sure I focus on getting down to business, so I need to pull myself away from the computer and hit the sewing machine.

We have a photoshoot scheduled for next week for all the pattern covers and I am so excited that we will be using several fans from our The Cottage Mama Facebook page for the ‘boy’ pattern that will be released!  We will photograph my little guy, Caspian Finn, as well, but he isn’t standing yet so we have some adorable little guys that will be modeling for us.

I am sewing up a storm trying to make sure we have all the variations of each pattern constructed and making sure the sizing is all correct.  There are three variations in each pattern, so that is at least nine garments, with a few more for good measure.  My head is swirling with ideas, fabric combinations and lots of pretty trim.  I literally just starred at my fabric for 20 minutes yesterday not being able to put a fabric combination together to save my life…….I guess I’ll call it sewers block.  But today is a new day and inspiration has been found! 

Can’t wait to share the finished products with you all ~ Have a great day!
1
Apr

Tulip Petal Sun Hat Pattern and Tutorial


Tulip Petal Sun Hat

Size 2-5 years
Free Pattern & Tutorial
Click HERE to download the free pattern piece.

Fabric Line: ‘Sunny Happy Skies’ by Bella Blvd for Riley Blake Designs

Course Materials:
1/2 yard each of two different coordinating prints – 100% cotton fabric
1 large button
1 small button
Basic Sewing Supplies
Pinking Shears (optional)
Tulip Petal Pattern Piece (found HERE)
Course Instructions:
5/8″ Seam Allowance, unless otherwise noted.
Cut your pattern pieces.  You will need six for the exterior fabric and six for the interior fabric.  Cut four 14″ x 1.5″ long rectangles for the tie.
Place two of the petal pattern pieces with the right sides facing each other.  By right sides, I mean the printed side of the fabric.  Stitch along one side.
The above picture is what your stitching should look like.
Press seams open and trim seam allowance with pinking shears or clip the curves to remove any bulk and help the seams to lay flat.
Now add a third petal piece to the first two that you sewed together.  Place with the right sides together and stitch together.

Press seams open and clip curves or trim with pinking shears.

Do the exact same thing with the other three exterior petal pieces.  So that you end up with two large pieces that have three petals each.

Place the two, three petal pieces with the right sides together and stitch according to picture above.  Press seams.

Follow the above instructions for sewing the lining pieces together.
Place two of the strap pieces with the right sides together.
Stitch down both long sides and one short side, leaving one short side open for turning right side out.
Clip the corners to remove bulk and to help the corners lay flat.
Use a long stick (or, in my case, a thin paint brush) and push the side that you sewed together up through the rest of the long tube until you can pull it right side out.  Work corners out and press.
Follow the same instructions for the other strap.
Now place your exterior fabric pieces and your lining fabric pieces with right sides together and pin around the edge.
Place your straps inside the hat with the raw edge lined up with the raw edge of the hat.  Place each strap on the opposite side of the hat in between one of the scallops and in between the exterior layer of fabric and the lining layer of fabric.  By doing this, you will catch the straps in the seam and they will be positioned correctly with no exposed edges once they are turned out.
Stitch all the way around the scallops, but leave a 2″-3″ opening for turning right side out.
Clip in between all of the scallops.  Make sure to clip very close to the seam (just be careful not to clip through it) or the hat will not lay flat when you press it right side out.  Also, clip the excess seam allowance with pinking shears or notch out the curves to help the hat lay flat.
Pull the fabric through the small opening to turn it right side out.
Use your iron and really press out each of the scallops so it lays nice and flat around all of the curves.
Hand sew the small opening that you left around one of the scallops.  Do this in coordinating thread.
This is an optional detail, but you can layer a small button on top of a large button and hand sew it to the top of the hat.
I like the little button detail, but you could add any trim you would like to the top of the hat.  A fabric yo-yo would look great or a little fabric bow would be really sweet.
This is the perfect little hat for a day at the beach or a playdate in the park.  You can easily size the pattern piece up or down by adding or subtracting from it in 1/2″ increments.
And since I made this little hat, I couldn’t resist playing with this gorgeous fabric and making some coordinating looks for my girls………
Tulip Petal Sun Hat FREE Pattern and Tutorial from The Cottage Mama. www.thecottagemama.com

FREE Girls Sun Hat Sewing Pattern from The Cottage Mama

Happy Spring!
29
Mar

45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest Recap

Wow, what an incredible last several days we’ve had!  The 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest has come to a close and though Mom didn’t walk away with the $1 million grand prize, we all walked away with memories to last a lifetime!  I feel so blessed to have been able to share this once in a lifetime experience with my mom and am so glad she invited me along for the ride!

 Mom at her station ~ #48

The 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest was held this year in Orlando, FL at the Peabody Hotel.  Each finalist was allowed to bring three guests, but many people came by themselves.  Pillsbury paid for the finalists entire trip, but the guest fee was pretty steep.  We all got up super-early and flew into Orlando and arrived around noon.  Mom and Pepo flew in from Houston and Caspian and I flew in from Chicago, IL.  Pillsbury had private transportation arranged for all of us (even the guests)……..I don’t think I would ever get tired of having a driver ready and waiting to pick me up!

 Pepo and Caspian

 Caspian after a long morning of traveling.

 They gave each of the finalist a ‘Doughboy’……perfect for our own, real-life Doughboy.

 Mom’s quilting group made her a hot-pad and they all signed it with good luck messages.

When we arrived at the hotel, we checked in our rooms and then went down to registration.  The finalists and guests registered and received their name badges.  They had a wonderful lunch spread for everyone with things like roast beef and brie sandwiches, pasta salad, jicama salad, terra chips and tons of sweet treats like butterscotch blondies, brownies, chocolate chip cookies and so much more!

Kroger cocktail hour.

After lunch the finalists had a long orientation and then we all attended a cocktail hour hosted by the different grocery stores from around the country.  Mom’s store is ‘Kroger’ so we hung out with the folks from ‘Kroger’ and the other ‘Kroger’ finalists.  After the cocktail hour we made our way into the semi-formal welcome dinner.

The food at the dinner was amazing!!  The salad was to-die-for and the steak was cooked to an absolute perfect medium.  The dessert was just delicious and went perfectly with our red wine!

 Mom and fellow finalists in line for the Grand March.

Getting ready for the Grand March.

The next morning was the competition.  We had to be at breakfast around 6:00AM.  Then the finalists lined up outside the ballroom for the historic ‘Grand March’ into the Bake-Off.  While the finalists lined up, the rest of the guests, media, and folks from the Martha Stewart Show made our way into the ballroom.

 Kitchens all ready to go before the competition.

 Station…….not too large.

Many people get star-struck around different movie stars, models, ect……..nope, not me……..I was almost paralyzed with excitement from being around Martha Stewart herself!!  I must have taken a million pictures of her.  And the fact that I was standing next to the Editor of Everyday Food Magazine and talking with Joey Kola (Martha’s sidekick) was so incredibly thrilling!!  Martha was so sweet and lovely.  She was on the quieter side and seemed genuinely excited to be there.

 Filming the opening for the Martha Stewart show.

 Martha brought her own personal camera she was using to take pictures.
 Yes, this was how close I was to them (I’m not using any zoom)!

After the contestants did the Grand March into the ballroom, a deep voice came over the sound system announcing the beginning of the ’45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest’.  And from that point on the finalists had 4 hours to make their recipes 3 times ~ once for the judges, once for the display table and an optional third time for tasting (for media and other finalists).

The excitement in the room was so electric!  There was media everywhere and Martha Stewart’s team was walking around with several different crews filming, interviewing and tasting different recipes.  I noticed that the Martha Stewart Show had certain finalists bookmarked and it turns out Mom was one of them.  Martha stopped by several times, tasted Mom’s recipe and took a picture of Mom’s blackberries with Martha’s own personal camera.

 Finalists were given a disposable camera at their stations.  Here is Mom with Martha.

Each finalist had a runner that was there to help them get ingredients or help them with any issues they might have.  Mom really liked her runner, ‘Cody’ and she also made friends with the finalists on either side of her.  She tried Pam’s ‘Loaded Nacho Burgers‘ and said I needed to link to them on the blog because they are SO good……Mom said she’s actually going to make them tonight for dinner!  So if you would like to check out the recipe for ‘Loaded Nacho Burgers’, click HERE.

Caspian Finn ~ the little Doughboy

My little man, Caspian Finn, slept through the first several hours of the Bake-Off in his stroller (he was a little under the weather).  Once he finally woke up, I took him out of the stroller and put on his Doughboy hat that I made for him.  I made a basic chef hat in white and embroidered ‘Doughboy’ on the front.  And let me tell you………Caspian was a HUGE hit!  He had media swarming him……Martha Stewart’s crew, Pillsbury, General Mills, Better Homes and Gardens, ect……The President of Pillsbury even asked me to take him over to have his picture taken with the real Doughboy.  We had so much fun!

They even blogged about us (Mom, Caspian and I) on Pillsbury.com about us having three generations at the Bake-Off!  
Click HERE to read the article on the Pillsbury website.

After the competition was complete, we were able to view all the different recipes on the display table.  Mom had obviously had an amazing time and was on such a high from everything.

Mom, Pepo and Caspian

We spent some time that afternoon relaxing and talking about her experience.  That evening was the celebration dinner where they had transformed one of the ballrooms into a night club.  It was really fun and they had all kinds of stations preparing different foods such as Pad Thai, Lamb and Buffalo Sliders, Shrimp and Pork Quesadillas and much more.  We didn’t stay too long because they had an awesome band playing, but it was too loud for my little man.

The next morning we went to breakfast and got ready for the Martha Stewart Show.  The Martha Show set was set up in one of the ballrooms and the show was broadcast live from the Peabody hotel and aired on the Hallmark Channel.  The whole show was about the Bake-Off Contest.  And while Mom did not win any of the prizes we saw her and her recipe in the television footage and Caspian and I were featured on the show as well!!  Pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

Click on the video above to see Mom’s recipe as well as Caspian and I in the Bake-Off highlights that were part of the Martha Stewart show!

After a slight feeling of disappointment that Mom didn’t walk away with the $1 million dollars, a few hugs from her own little Doughboy certainly made her feel better!

The people at Pillsbury and General Mills did a fabulous job with this entire event.  I can see why they only put this on every other year…….it is a lot of work!  We made so many friends and got to talk to so many lovely people.  The 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest is one that we will remember for the rest of our lives and as the folks from Pillsbury said, Mom is now officially part of Bake-Off history.

You can purchase the cookbook with all of the Bake-Off finalists recipes at most major grocery stores (usually located where you check out) or check out the recipes online.  Also, I know many of you love to cook, so I would highly recommend you start thinking about a recipe for the 46th Bake-Off Contest that will take place in 2014 and definitely try to enter.  I know Mom already has two pages of recipe ideas going…….yes, it was that much fun……..she certainly wants to go for it again!

23
Mar

Will It Go Round In Circles? ~ Free Quilt Pattern and Tutorial ~ Part 5: Binding

Here we are on the final day of the ‘Will it go round in circles?’ quilt pattern and tutorial.  Today we will bind our quilt.  This binding tutorial is a great one whether you are binding a quilt or even a simple baby blanket.  Keep on going……..you’re almost finished!  And now here’s my mom (Grandma Jane)…………. 

Part 5: Binding

34. Binding–Stitching all complete? It is time to bind your quilt. Yea! We are almost finished! I like to machine stitch the binding on to the quilt and then finish it up with hand stitching.

35. Place the ends of two binding pieces right sides together as shown. Use a fabric marker to draw a line diagonally across the pieces, pin and stitch along the drawn line. Trim to ¼ inch and press. Attach a third piece in the same way. Continue joining all the pieces together—making one long piece of binding.

36. Fold the binding WRONG sides together and press along the length of the binding.

37. Leaving a 9-10 inch piece free, place the open edges of the folded binding along the edge of the quilt top—I usually start on the bottom edge of the quilt as the finish will be somewhat less obvious. Some quilters trim up the excess batting and quilt backing that extends past the quilt top right now but I really prefer to wait to do this later so that I am not battling to make sure I catch all the edges of the quilt sandwich in my stitching.

38. Using your walking foot, stitch the binding on the quilt using a ¼ seam. I do not pin this step—just place the binding along the edge as I go –sometimes adjusting a little to keep it smooth and without puckers.

39. To make a nice, neat mitered corner, stitch to ¼ inch away from the first corner. Lift your presser foot, rotate the quilt up slightly, put presser foot down and then take just a couple of stitches angled out to the corner edge. Clip your top and bottom threads.

40. Turn the quilt, fold the binding up and then down as shown, and start stitching again along the edge of the second side of the quilt. Repeat for the next three corners and sides.

41. Stop stitching at least 10 inches from where you began attaching the binding.

42. Sewing the two ends of the binding together is my very least favorite part of this because for some reason I always struggle to get it to fit evenly. I came across this neat little tool, cut Rite Bind Up, on-line and ordered one from www.quiltersparadiseesc.com I have used it several times and it is definitely helping me do a better job. It comes with great directions and pictures.

43. Press the two ends of the unsewn binding so they meet and match up.

44. Unfold the left side of the binding so the wrong side is up and using a fabric pen mark the creased edges as shown on the wrong side of the fabric. Lay the tool on top of the wrong side of the fabric as shown, matching the markings on the tool with the fabric pen lines on the fabric and cut along the angled edge. Repeat for the right side of the binding piece.

45. Sew the two ends of the binding together, right sides together in a ¼ inch seam. Check for a good fit and finish stitching the binding to the quilt. Whew, done!

46. Now trim the edges of the quilt on all four sides. Cut off the excess batting and quilt back fabric, at least ¼ inch away from stitches. Cut carefully—I position on the quilt on the ironing board so I can pull the fabric somewhat taut with my left hand as I trim with my right.

47. Now my favorite part—hand stitching the binding to the quilt back!! I know some quilters really do not like this and prefer to machine stitch the binding but for some reason I find this very relaxing to have a little hand work to do. I machine sew upstairs in my sewing room away from where my dear hubby, Pepo, usually hangs out in the downstairs den with the big TV. This is a great project to work on as I sit next to him and watch TV with him or make him carry on a “meaningful’ conversation with me. (He is rolling his eyes about now…he is not a big talker.) Anyway, I love the feeling of getting close to finishing a project and seeing what the quilt is actually going to look like. I really like to think about the person that I am making the quilt for as finish this last step.

48. Fold the creased edge of binding up over the edge of the quilt to the quilt back. I love these quilt binding clips—so easy and much better than pinning.

49. I start sewing the binding down on the bottom of the quilt and work right to left with my stitches. Using a single strand of thread, make a knot and pull needle through on the underside of the binding, catching slightly the batting and quilt back fabric and exiting right in the crease of the binding.

50. Take a small stitch out from the binding crease into the line of stitches you made when machine stitching the binding. Insert the needle through the quilt back fabric and batting, taking care not to catch the quilt top, and make a stitch towards the left about ¼ inch in length. Pull the needle up through the crease of the binding and repeat moving along right to left.

51. When you approach the corner, hold the binding down and take several stitches up into the corner. Fold the binding over from the next side—making a nice mitered edge and take a couple of small stitches in the angled fold. Continue stitching, taking care to keep your stitches along the creased edge as small as possible so they do not show.

52. Whew! It’s finished and is ready to toss in the washer on COLD gentle cycle. An absolute must in my book is to use a Shout Color Catcher. These little sheets are miracle workers in “catching” any color that may bleed from your fabric—especially when working with white and any dark colors like red, orange or blue. I have been known when really nervous about bleeding colors to throw in 3 or 4 of the little sheets and I have not had a problem yet.

53. Take your quilt out of the washer as soon as the washer stops so wet fabric does not get any other chance to bleed. Toss in the dryer to get it all warm and cozy. It is fun to see how it crinkles up along the quilting lines. I think I like the look of my circle quilt on the sofa in my sewing room. Piecing the back gives a nice surprise when you flip it over too. I didn’t get a label on this quilt yet and maybe we can talk about that on another day.

This has been such fun talking and sharing on Lindsay’s blog. I hope I have been able to share a little something that you didn’t already know. Most of all I wanted to share how much I love the idea of a cozy, warm gift of a quilt to be used to “cover in love and hugs” a special person. It’s a way to give a hug from miles away and who isn’t going to treasure that for many year to come? Like I said, I think I am keeping this circle quilt for me as a reminder of all those crazy, wonderful circles in my life!

P. S. My next adventure is going to be competing as one of 100 finalists in the 45th Pillsbury Bake-off Contest in Orlando, Florida on March 26th. Martha Stewart is hosting and will be announcing the Million Dollar winner live on her show on March 27th on the Hallmark Channel 11 am EST. Pepo, Lindsay and Baby Caspian will be there with me so keep a look out for us!

In case you missed the earlier parts of the quilt tutorial you can view:
Part 1 (HERE), Part 2 (HERE), Part 3 (HERE) and Part 4 (HERE)
A BIG giant thank you to my mom for putting together this wonderful series!  A lot of work goes into taking step-by-step pictures and coming up with clear instructions that everyone can understand.  So again, Mom, THANK YOU ~ You are the best!

Wish Mom luck at the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest this weekend!  Caspian will be sporting his Pillsbury doughboy hat that I made for him, so we should be pretty easy to spot during the competition.  Although, I’m not sure Martha Stewart would appreciate him wearing his hat to her show, so we may leave that it the hotel room during the taping of her show.  But anyway, just look for the brown haired mama with a super-chubby, completely adorable, bald baby boy!  Can’t wait!!