The Cottage Mama Blog - Sewing. Cooking. Crafting.

Jul

Strawberry Picking and Cinnamon Strawberry Muffin Recipe

Last week it was finally strawberry season here in Illinois! My husband was out of town for the week on a fishing trip with his dad, so the girls and I decided to head to our local strawberry farm to pick some fresh berries. At the farm they give each child their own small basket and then they give each adult a larger basket. It's not a fancy place, but it was just the perfect place for this mama and two little ladies. The girls were very busy picking their berries. Savannah stayed very focused and picked a ton. Matilda, however, … continue reading

Jul

From Grandma with Love…..Cowgirl Princess Quilts and Ruffle Pillows

I love my mom. I know I've told you all that before, but she really is the best! So thoughtful, kind, understanding, a good listener and I could go on and on, but I know she reads the blog and I don't want her to get a big head or anything.She has really been taking a lot of time lately sewing some fun things for my girls and I just had to share her most recent creation with you.My mom lives in Texas and she said that when she found this Cowgirl Princess fabric she knew she MUST make these quilts for the girls. Isn't that fabric just adorable?Mom made both … continue reading

Jul

Happy 4th of July!

Jul

Birdsong Bows Giveaway Winner

And the winner(s) of the Birdsong Bows Pattern Giveaway are............Congratulations to you both!! Please email Lindsay at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information and we will get these patterns out to you as soon as possible. Thank you so much to everyone who entered! We've got a great PDF sewing pattern giveaway scheduled for this next week from one of our new sponsors, Tie Dye Diva Sewing Patterns, so stay tuned. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of The Cottage Home blog, feel free to email me for rates and more information. … continue reading

Jul

Playdate Outfit Sew Along: Day 5 – Capris/Shorts

If you've made it this far, I want to say thank you for staying with me. I've had a lot of fun sewing with you all so far! And I hope you guys are having fun too. So now we are moving on to the capris/shorts. I decided to make the capris for my little lady, so I will be referring to them as such through this post. First we need to add the cuff to the capris. Place the cuff on top of the bottom of the pants, right sides together and sew together at the bottom edge. Do this on all four pant pieces. Press seams open and then press the right side as … continue reading

Jun

Playdate Outfit Sew Along: Day 4 – The Flower

So now that we've got our top or dress completed, it's time to add the fun, accent flower. This part of the pattern is completely optional, but I think it adds a nice little bit of whimsy to the outfit. You can get as creative as you would like with this accessory, but I opted to follow the pattern and just add an extra-large fabric covered button to the center. You've got to start by cutting 8 petals. I used the accent fabric for the petals, but you could use whatever fabric you like......maybe even something less matchy and more bold.....it's up to … continue reading

Jun

Playdate Outfit Sew Along: Day 3 – Top/Dress (2nd Half)

So it's time to finish up our top/dress! How are we feeling? Good, I hope......we're in the home stretch, so bare with me. Yesterday we stopped after finishing up our arm holes and shoulder ruffles, so now we'll move on to the side seams and finishing. Since you've probably just pressed your shoulder ruffles and arm holes, you will now need to pull the exterior fabric and the lining completely apart (we do this a lot with this pattern). Place the right sides of the exterior fabric and the right sides of the lining fabric together at both sides seams. … continue reading

Jun

Playdate Outfit Sew Along: Day 2 – Top/Dress (1st Half)

It's day 2 of the Carina Gardner "Playdate Outfit" sew along and today we are going to be working on the top or dress. The dress is made in the exact same way as the top, but just cut a little longer. So for the purpose of this post I will refer to this as "the top" instead of dress. Whenever you start sewing with a pattern it's a good idea to read through the pattern several times before you begin. Check all the instructions, make sure you've cut all your pieces and pay careful attention to the seam allowances given for each step. Generally, there is a … continue reading

Jun

Playdate Outfit Sew Along: Day 1 – Getting Started

Welcome to the Carina Gardner "Playdate Outfit" Sew Along! I'm so glad so many of you have decided to join in the sewing fun. And even if you're not sewing the pattern along with the rest of us, you still might find some helpful hints and tricks when sewing with commercial printed patterns. So, let's get started.......... The Tools: Here are a few of the tools that I like to use when I'm sewing. I find they make life a little easier and they can help achieve that truly professional look to your sewn garment. I have quite a few tools in my sewing box, so … continue reading

Jun

Birdsong Bows – Annabelle Flower Pattern Review AND Giveaway

One of my super-fabulous, totally wonderful blog sponsors, Birdsong Bows, sent me her most recent pattern to review called the Annabelle Flower pattern. This pattern is top-notch just like all of the other patterns I've seen from Birdsong Bows!If you've never sewn a Birdsong Bow pattern, you are missing out. I would call myself a total novice when it comes to hair bows, but these patterns are always incredibly well instructed and very easy to understand. I don't know if you recall, but I made some pretty fun hair bows awhile back from the Funky, Loopy Bow … continue reading