The Cottage Mama Blog - Sewing. Cooking. Crafting.

Mar

Happy 13th Birthday, Savannah!

Dear Savannah, Happy 13th birthday! How in the world do I have a teenager now? No, it can't be true! I started this blog before your 2nd birthday and now here we are....poof.....you are a teenager. The days are long and the years are short. That's what everyone has been telling me and now I can whole-heartedly believe them. These years are flying by and I could not be more proud of the young lady you becoming throughout these years. Here are some things I would like to remember about you when you turned 13 years old and some things that you might like to know … continue reading

Feb

Lessons with Lindsay: Reusable Snack Bag Pattern

It's that time again.......another Lesson with Lindsay. This week I'm sharing a very easy, beginner friendly tutorial for my Reusable Snack Bag Pattern. I posted a photographed tutorial of this project many years ago and it's been a very popular free pattern here on The Cottage Mama. So I decided to make a video tutorial for all of you visual learners out there. It was funny, as I was watching the edited version of this video (which, oh my goodness.....it's always so weird to hear yourself talk), Josephine came up carrying one of the snack bags that I made … continue reading

Feb

Mary Jane Baby Shoes Pattern

It's National Sewing Month and today I'm partnering up with Joann Fabric and Craft Stores for their #sewyourstyle blogger campaign and contest sponsored by Joann's and Pellon. Today I have a free Mary Jane Baby Shoes Pattern to share with all of you as part of this series. We are due to have our fourth child, a sweet baby girl, in about 4 weeks from now so I've been busy nesting and sewing a few things for the new little miss. I came up with these Mary Jane Baby Shoes and have the pattern available for you for free here in size 6 - 12 month (this is a simple, … continue reading

Jan

Easy Magnetic Pin Holder Tutorial

I have been meaning to write a blog post for over a year about this Easy Magnetic Pin Holder, but as life would have it, I just never got around to it. But today is the day! My mom sent me this darling magnetic pin holder that she made last year and I use it so much in my studio. My mom and I have a thing for little dishes. We love to have little cute bowls and dipping dishes around for snacks, etc. We believe you can never have too many cute little dishes! I like having multiple pin holders going at one time, so I can have straight pins within arms reach at … continue reading

Jan

Lessons with Lindsay: Summer Picnic Dress

Today I have a new Lessons with Lindsay video tutorial for you! This video is a step-by-step tutorial for my free Summer Picnic Dress Pattern. If you've never sewn my Picnic Dress before, I really think you are going to enjoy this video. I take you through every step of garment construction and share some of my tips and tricks with you along the way. Even if you are a seasoned sewer, I think we can all learn a few things from seeing the way someone else might put together a garment. So sit back, relax and enjoy today's video........ … continue reading

Dec

Embroidered Towel Tutorial

Both my girls finished school a couple weeks ago. Savannah finished Kindergarten and Matilda finished her last year of preschool. It's hard to believe I will have a 1st grader and a kindergartner next year! I wanted to create a gift for the girls' teachers that I thought they might really use. I figure everyone can use a good beach towel, so I decided to take it a step further and embroiderer each of their teachers last names on the towel. I didn't want to use their first names since then the other members of their families might not be able, or want, to … continue reading

Nov

DIY Christmas Pillowcases

As I've mentioned before, this year we are having quite a few visitors during the holiday season. I decided to whip up a bunch of Christmas pillowcases for all of our house guests using my '15-Minute Pillowcase Tutorial'. I thought it would be a festive and fun gesture to have new pillowcases for our house guests to use to rest their tired heads. … continue reading

Oct

Children at Play Scalloped Pillow

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to film two episodes of Fons and Porter 'Love of Quilting' PBS show and magazine. I already shared my Cottage Quilt Block with you that I made on one of the episodes. Today I'm sharing the project that I did on the other episode........ Children at Play Scalloped Pillow. … continue reading

Oct

Halloween Trick or Treat Bag Pattern

Do your kids have special Halloween Trick or Treat Bags? I have been wanting to make my kids their own personalized Halloween Trick or Treat Bags for several years now. I have admired some of the cute ones I've seen in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and thought about ordering them several times. But my conscious always held me back since I knew I could make them very easily if I just took the time to create a pattern. So this is the year........we are due with our 4th child in about two weeks and she will be the final little one to complete our family, so this was … continue reading

Oct

Happy Birthday, Josephine!

Dear JoJo, Happy Birthday! Today you are six years old. Wow, time sure does fly when you are having fun! I can't believe my youngest baby is six. Here are some things I would like to remember about you when you turned six years old and somethings you might like to know about your six year old self....... … continue reading