sewing • cooking • crafting • all things domestic
I know this is going to sound very strange, but I actually like spring cleaning. Do I love the everyday picking up of toys, crumbs and other surprises that my girls leave around?……well, not so much. But I have to admit that a good deep cleaning around this house feels really good (while it lasts, that is).
Click HERE to check out my spring cleaning tips and enter to win $100 Visa Gift Card AND the new Libman Freedom Spray Mop!
Yesterday I posted my recipe for Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Corn Relish. Well, we had some leftovers and I decided it would be fun to turn them into something new for the following dinner. There are very few additional ingredients for this pasta dish, but your family will never know they are eating something very similar to the night before.
If you would like to make this dish, but fear you might not have any leftovers from the night before, just plan ahead and make a double recipe of the spicy shrimp.
A week ago it actually felt like spring here in Chicago (though today, not so much), so I had grilling on the brain. One of my favorite foods is grilled shrimp and I came up with this spicy grilled shrimp recipe with corn relish that is perfect for those warm weather days. This recipe may appear to have a lot of ingredients, but most of the spices can be found in your pantry.
In case you missed my guest blog post on “No Big Dill” about a month ago, here it is………..
To me, the “Dick and Jane” books are the epitome of retro, children’s storybook classics. The images in these books bring me such comfort. They remind us of simpler times, they remind us when life was slower and more easy going. I often wonder if I was born during the correct time period because it seems that everything vintage always has a soft-spot in my heart.
I personally did not grow up with the “Dick and Jane” book series, but my mom grew up learning to read from “Dick and Jane” books. The books contain simple words with simple images, perfect for the new reader.
One of the most enjoyable parts of looking through these old classics are the illustrations of the children’s clothing. If you’ve ever been to my blog or etsy shop, you know that I love classic children’s clothing so this time period is right up my alley!
I chose to do a “Dick and Jane” inspired look because I love sweet, classic, feminine dresses on little girls which is what Jane is all about. So I guess we could say I came up with a “Jane” inspired look.
This entire dress (aside from the notions and the lining) was made from a $1.49 full-sized sheet that I found at my local thrift store last weekend. I was waiting for some inspiration for this look and the sheet did the trick. I love the pretty floral as well as the vintage feel I get from the sheet. The scalloped edging was another vintage touch that I thought would be perfect for the “Jane” look – I can just see her wearing this dress in one of those books.
The above picture is the sheet prior to being turned into the dress. It had this fabulous border across the top and little flowers on the rest of the sheet.
I thought I would show you today how to embellish the bodice of a dress. You can take any tank dress pattern that you love and change up the bodice to make it your own. If you don’t have a bodice pattern that you really like, you can print my party dress pattern HERE and use that pattern.
The main, featured trim on this dress is this pink picot edge trim. You can buy this online or you may be able to find it in your local fabric shop. Since the lines of this dress were very classic, I wanted to make sure the trims were as well.
Cut four pieces of trim that are the same height as the bodice. I like to cut mine a little longer just to be safe.
Next, grab your Wonder-Tape. You all are probably so sick of hearing me talk about this product but it is one of my absolute favorites! This is a double-sided tape for fabric that disappears in the wash. You can use it to secure any trims that may be difficult to pin or where pin marks might show. I find it holds trims with much more precision than pins – I use this on my piping as well. You can definitely pin if you don’t have this product, but I think this makes life SO much easier.
Apply your Wonder-Tape to the back-side of each piece of trim. When you are ready to put your trim in place, remove the paper backing.
Apply your first two pieces of picot edging with the scalloped edging pointing outward. Stitch down each piece of trim in coordinating thread. I stitched close to the scalloped edge because your second piece will end up catching the other side.
Next, place your second piece of picot trim on top of the first. Make sure to line it up perfectly so you can’t see the plain edge of the first piece. Stitch down the side close to the scallop edge.
Take a piece of coordinating fabric to use as your center focal point of the bodice. I used two pieces since the sheet fabric was fairly thin, but you could definitely just use one and press the edges under. To use the two pieces, measure the distance between your trims and add enough to account for your seam allowance – I used 1/4″. Stitch both pieces of fabric together leaving the top and the bottom open. Turn right-side out and press.
Place your fabric in the middle of your trims and stitch into place. You can leave the top and bottom edge raw because that will become concealed once you add your collar and bodice lining.
Stitch very close to the edge of the fabric – about 1/16″ or 1/8″ seam allowance.
Do all the embellishing on the bodice before you start sewing the dress. That way your lining will conceal all the stitching on the bodice and you will have a beautifully lined top.
I did three pin-tucks on the skirt of the dress. You can do this by adding an inch per pin-tuck to the length of the skirt. So for this skirt piece, I added an additional 3 inches.
I used petite piping in the collar. You can make your own piping or used a packaged variety. Click HERE to view my piping tutorial and HERE to find out how to make your own custom piping.
I think its in the little details that make the difference between a nice dress and a truly special and unique dress. Back in the 50’s and 60’s, parents definitely valued quality over quantity when it came to clothing. It’s fun to take the time to make something special for our little ones – they deserve it, don’t you think?
I have been wanting to make the “Early Empire Cinch” from Anna Maria Horner’s book, Handmade Beginnings – 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby since before I was even pregnant. I purchased this book because it had some projects that I wanted to make for Matilda and had some really great baby gift ideas.
There is an entire chapter in this book dedicated for “Mama Sewing” and that’s where you will find the “Early Empire Cinch” plus tons of other great projects for anyone who is expecting.
I had my husband snap a few pictures of me before I went out to run some errands so you could see the cinch in action. I really made these with the intention of wearing them with some t-shirts or to wear with dresses. But alas, the Chicago weather is still pretty chilly, so I paired it with one of my lose fitting sweaters and I think it looks pretty cute. I love how much it accentuates the baby bump. Oh, and by the way…….that’s my 20 week baby bump in these pictures.
You can wear the cinch with the large part to the back or in front. I tend to carry my babies pretty high, so it worked better for me in the back. But if you carry low, it would look adorable with the large part in front.
I made two different cinch’s for myself and both of them are reversible. So that’s four looks for the price of two!
I made this first cinch with a lot of scraps from my fabric stash and a little bit of yardage. I have A LOT of scraps, so I love projects that cause me to use them up. I made sure that the scraps were all in the same color family – mostly pinks, blues and greens.
I made the outside of the cinch with the thoughts that I would pair it with a black maxi-dress that I have for summer. And as you can see, I made the inside brown, so I can pair this with more neutral clothing or create a more casual look.
I made the blue and orange cinch to go with a rather boxy maternity dress that I recently purchased from Old Navy. This cinch really helps to give the dress more shape and again, emphasize the baby bump.
For some reason the dress looks a little red in these pictures, but I promise it’s deep orange and it ties in with the deepest shade of orange in the teal fabric.
The inside of the above cinch is blue and orange polka dots and can be reversed to reveal and entirely new look. Not sure what I will pair with this one, but I think it would look cute with jeans and a tee.
We started out our day by checking out what the Easter bunny had brought for the girls, followed by a little egg hunt inside the house. Next we met my in-laws for Easter Mass, followed by a delicious brunch at one of our favorite local restaurants. And, to our surprise, we actually had some decent weather, so when we got home we headed outside so the girls could hunt for more eggs in the front yard.
My husband and I have a thing for southwestern cuisine. We love it all! I think I could serve my husband southwestern food every day of his life and he would never get tired of it……..and neither would I. We’re a match made in heaven, I guess.
We both love Chile Rellenos, which is what I originally considered making with these beautiful poblano peppers. But the idea of frying something didn’t really appeal to me, so I came up with this slightly healthier alternative – Stuffed Poblano Peppers. These peppers are stuffed with a mixture of tomatoes, green chiles, zucchini, cilantro, rice, garlic, onions, Mexican spices and Monterey Jack cheese. They are baked in the oven and garnished with sour cream and more fresh cilantro.
I’m not joking when I say that this recipe is ridiculously good! I can’t take credit for this one since it is actually a Rachel Ray recipe, but man, I had to blog about it because my husband and I just loved all the flavors.
This recipe has the perfect balance of sweet, tart and savory all in one bite. Serve it with mashed or roasted potatoes and you have a meal that is fit for entertaining (or an easy weeknight dinner).
I’m not going to post the recipe here, since I can take credit for it, but you can find it HERE. I will, however, tell you the minor changes I made that you might want to give a whirl if you decide to give this recipe a go (which I highly recommend).
I breaded the chicken pretty much the same, however; I used panko bread crumbs instead of regular. You can find panko bread crumbs in most major grocery stores in the same section as the regular ones. I find they add a crunch to breading that really can’t be beat. The orange zest is key in this breading, so don’t leave it out even if you think it sounds strange.
For the orange and arugula salad, I made a vinaigrette from 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 Tablespoons orange juice, 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. I used small tangerines instead of regular oranges which made assembling this dish really easy. Arugula has a very peppery, bitter flavor when tasted on its own. Personally I don’t love it by itself, but pair it with something sweet or savory and the balance of flavor is amazing.
I served our chicken cutlets with homemade mashed potatoes. We had some leftovers and it was equally as good the next day. So cook up some extra cutlets and have some chicken to use in other dishes throughout the week. If you don’t like arugula or don’t have any on hand, the chicken cutlets by themselves are still very good. But if you can, go for the salad on top – it is diviiiiiiine!
And the winner of The Modest Mom giveaway is……….
Congratulations, Jessi! Please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information and we will get your sizing and skirt mailed out to you as soon as possible.
Lindsay Wilkes is the owner and designer behind The Cottage Mama. She creates timeless, vintage inspired sewing patterns for children’s clothes. She is also a fabric designer for Riley Black Designers / Penny Rose Fabrics, author of the book ‘Sew Classic Clothes for Girls’ and can be seen teaching nationwide and online in her video series ‘Lessons with Lindsay’ sponsored by Baby Lock Sewing and Embroidery machines.
Welcome! My name is Lindsay Wilkes and I am the owner / designer of The Cottage Mama, a boutique children's sewing pattern company and the author behind, 'Sew Classic Clothes for Girls'. The Cottage Mama blog is where I share my love for sewing, cooking and crafting and all things domestic. If you like what you see, you can read more about me HERE.