sewing • cooking • crafting • all things domestic
Happy 1st Day of School 2016! Our three oldest are finally starting back to school today. They are SO excited and I am SO excited! I love having them home with me, but having a family with four kids, we definitely thrive on a schedule. We are looking forward to getting back in the swing of things and getting our routine going again. … continue reading
Can you believe that summer break is coming to an end in a few weeks and the kids will be heading back to school? Summer always seems like it's going to be so long and then it flies by in a blink! We've already received our teacher assignments, so back to school is right around the corner! I wanted to share some sewing patterns that I think are really great for More Back to School Sewing. Maybe you want to make your little one, one special item for back to school or maybe you want to make them a whole bunch. Either way, this list will get you started! … continue reading
I have had this pillowcase dress hanging in my studio for a little while and realized I never took any pictures. So I snapped a few this weekend before I send it off to be donated. I loved creating those pillowcase dresses for Dresses for Africa a few months ago when I taught at Baby Lock Common Threads. The message of Dresses for Africa really spoke to me, so I decide to create another dress to send over there when this fabric arrived from Michael Miller Fabrics. These dresses are so quick to sew and really don't take that much fabric. If you have an afternoon, … continue reading
I'm excited to announce the Apple Picking Bundle Box Pre-Order now available over in The Cottage Mama Etsy shop! I know a lot of you were hoping to grab one of the first bundle boxes that sold out in under 4 minutes, so I'm please to offer you a new bundle box for this next month. Now, I'm still leaning towards doing a subscription service, but that is going to take my web developer a good amount of time to implement subscriptions onto the website incorporating all the features that I'm looking to have as part of that service. … continue reading
I have a thing for vintage related sewing and cooking items. I love old spools of thread, vintage patterns, vintage sewing kits, vintage notions, vintage cookbooks, vintage cookie cutters........you name it, I love it! Now I haven't gotten into collecting old sewing machines like a few of my friends, but I do think that those are a thing of beauty whenever I come across one in an antique store. … continue reading
Sold Out Bundle Boxes You guys......The Cottage Mama Bundle Boxes sold out in under 4 minutes! How did that happen?!?! When all those sold emails came into my inbox, I could hardly believe it! I wasn't exactly sure how many boxes to put together. I knew I didn't want to end up with too many left over, so I settled on 30 boxes. I figured that would be more than enough this first time. When I received the fabric yardage, I actually received less than I ordered (since these lines were pretty much sold out), so I was only able to do 26 boxes. But again, I figured … continue reading
The Cottage Mama Bundle Box As a lot of you know, one of my favorite parts of the sewing process is selecting fabrics and trims for the different garments that I create. I love mixing and matching patterned patterned fabrics, using unique, classic trims and paying close attention to details down to the very last button. … continue reading
Dear Matilda, Happy Birthday sweet girl! Today you are 7 years old (which feels very weird to say).......it seems hard to believe how quickly you are growing up. I know they say 'the days are long and the years are short', but it just seems like the years are getting shorter and shorter. Here are 20 things that I would like to remember about you when you turned 7 years old and you might like to know about your 7 year old self........ … continue reading
Sewing Dresses for Africa I just returned from one of my very favorite events of the year, Baby Lock Common Threads. Common Threads is an event for a fairly small group of people that are sponsored by Baby Lock Sewing and Embroidery Machines. It always feels like a family reunion because I consider these women a big part of my sewing family and it's a thrill to get to see them at least one time a year and catch up with everyone. There are ladies from all aspects of the sewing industry......quilting, sewing, fashion, embroidery, home decor sewing and … continue reading
I have an exciting announcement today! Guess what? I am a new fabric designer for Riley Blake Designs! I have been dying to share this news with you for months and now they finally said I could make the announcement since the fabric is on their website available for preorder for shops. I have toyed with the idea of creating a line of fabrics for a few years now since I released my book, but it just didn't seem like the right time. I'm a firm believer in not rushing things and making sure that the business decisions I make are in line with what's going on with … continue reading
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.