The Cottage Mama Blog - Sewing. Cooking. Crafting.

Oct

Fat Quarter Tote Bag Tutorial

This is an easy afternoon project called the 'Fat Quarter Tote Bag'. I fell in love with the fabric line, 'Seaside', by Riley Blake Designs the first time I saw it at quilt market back almost 9 months ago in Houston, TX. The colors, the prints, the nautical feel......awwww, swoon. I knew I had to use this line the minute it came out! The Fat Quarter Tote is a fully lined medium-sized tote bag made from six fat quarters (with a little bit of interfacing). Once you know how this sweet little bag goes together, you will be able to whip up several of them in no … continue reading

Oct

Vegetable Rice Soup ~ Recipe

There is no doubt about it........fall has arrived in the midwest. The leaves have changed colors and coats are definitely a must for outdoor play. For lunch the other day, the girls and I wanted something nice and warm and decided to whip up a quick and easy soup with some leftover rice.Don't you just love soup? We sure do. You can add just about any vegetables you would like to this soup and if you are vegetarian, try making it with vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Also, if you have any vegetables that are on their last leg, chop them up and throw them … continue reading

Oct

Sewing for Birch Organic Fabrics

Wow, this last week was probably one of the busiest I have had in a long time with all sorts of things going on..........whew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it. One of the projects on my to-do list was to finish some garments I designed for the Birch Organic Fabrics booth for International Quilt Market (which takes place in Houston at the end of the month).Cynthia, the owner of Birch, sent me four different prints to work with and I honestly had no idea which fabrics she would be sending. It made it kind of fun......I'm so used to picking my own fabrics for … continue reading

Oct

Scrappy Ruffle Headband Tutorial: Project Design Team Post for Riley Blake Designs and Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway

Today I'm guest blogging over at Riley Blake Designs sharing a tutorial for the Scrappy Ruffle Headband. It's a quick and easy project that requires very little sewing.Click HERE to head to Riley Blake Designs and view the full tutorial.I also made Miss Savannah an outfit to match her headband from the line 'The Sweetest Thing'. Here is Miss S. doing her little posing for Mama. She loves being in front of the camera these days.Unfortunately, Riley Blake didn't have the bundle of the line I used (The Sweetest Thing) to giveaway to you all, BUT I have an equally … continue reading

Oct

Seersucker Double Layer Twirl Skirt Tutorial

My name is Lindsay Wilkes from The Cottage Mama and I'm so excited to be here as part of the 'Skirting the Issue' series. What an amazing cause and I'm thrilled to be able to provide some handmade skirts for some very special little ladies. I make clothing for my children all the time and the idea of a child never having something special made just for them, breaks my heart. Every little one deserves to feel special, pretty, girly and loved and it is the least I can do to provide some skirts to hopefully bring those feelings into some little girls hearts. … continue reading

Sep

This and That……..and Giveaway Winners

This has been a good week. Lots of things going on around here, but all good. Gorgeous fall weather has swept through Chicago and I'm loving every minute of it. Fall is definitely my favorite time of year, how about you?This past weekend it was the perfect weather for us to go on our annual apple picking excursion. Our regular orchard wasn't open this season due to the unpredictable, crazy weather we had this last spring. But we decided to try a new one that turned out to be lots of fun.....Gigi (Brett's mom) came along on our fun apple picking adventure.Earlier … continue reading

Sep

Baby Lock and The Cottage Mama

I've been wanting to share my new machines with you for several months and now it's finally time!Meet the two newest members of The Cottage Mama team....... The Baby Lock Ellegante 3 Sewing and Embroidery Machine The Baby Lock Evolution 8-Thread Serger & Cover Stitch MachineI was recently sent these amazing new machines from the folks over at Baby Lock and let me tell you that they are truly "dream machines". I was content sewing on my Brother Sewing Machine (CS6000i) and Serger (1034d), but these Baby Lock machines take things to a whole new level. I kind of feel … continue reading

Sep

Goose Creek Candle Co. Giveaway

I recently had the opportunity to try out Goose Creek Candle Co.'s lovely candles from their American Heirloom Collection. If you like scented candles, you are going to love these. Goose Creek sent me my scent of choice and I must say that it was really hard to choose. I love all the smells of fall......pumpkin, apple, spice, ect., so I ended up going with Spiced Gourmet, but like I said, it was a tough decision. Here are some of the fall scents that looked pretty wonderful:I really liked the American Heirloom Collection candle that they sent. It had a pretty … continue reading

Sep

The Delicate Art of Balance

The Wilkes Family - Apple PickingSeptember 22, 2012The art of balance in ones life is something that I think we all struggle with on a daily basis. I am a firm believer that we cannot be all things to all people at all times. I cannot tell you how many times, I am hit with the phrase "how do you do it all?", whether it's via email, on The Cottage Mama Facebook page, or in real life with my friends and family.I am always a taken back by this question, because the true answer is simple, "I don't." I wish I knew how to get it all done. But for that to happen, I would … continue reading

Sep

Jo Totes Camera Bag Review and Giveaway

I am excited to share today's review and giveaway with you. If you aren't familiar, Jo Totes, is a camera bag company that produces gorgeous, functional camera bags for women.Here is a little bit more about Jo Totes: We have been creating and sending camera bags to women photographers around the world since 2009. Our bags provide a fashionable way for women to safely carry their camera bodies and lenses, along with regular purse items, every day—whether it be to a photo shoot, while traveling, or just while out on a regular day. The main compartment of each of … continue reading