Fabric Giveaway From Me to You

I don't do a whole lot of giveaways here on The Cottage Home. So, today I'm changing it up a bit and I've got a little giveaway from me to you.  It's not much, but just a little token of my appreciation to all of The Cottage Home loyal readers.  I love your emails, your comments, and you seriously make blogging such an amazing experience for me.

So, enough with the touchy-feely stuff and onto the giveaway.  Today you have a choice of two 5 yard fabric bundles.  You can choose from these two fabric lines Art Gallery "Sugar" or David Walker "Robots".  If you are the winner, I will be sending you 1 yard cuts of each of the 5 prints from whatever line you choose - that's 5 yards total!

Here are your two bundle choices:

Pat Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics "Sugar":

David Walker for Free Spirit Fabrics "Robots":

So you can enter this giveaway three times (three chances to win), here's how:

1. Leave a comment (with your email address) and let me know which bundle you would like and what you might make.

2. Become a follower and let me know you're following.  If you are already a follower (thank you), comment and simply let me know.

3. "Like" The Cottage Mama" on facebook.  Click here to become a fan.  Come back and leave a comment to let me know you're a fan.

This giveaway will be open for the next week and will close next Tuesday, September 7th at midnight (US Central Standard Time).  I will use random.org to select the winner.

Again, I want to thank you all so, so much for reading my little blog.  It hasn't even been a year yet that I started The Cottage Home, but I feel like I've known some of you for much longer. 

Have a great day!

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Change Up Bag Lunches with Tortilla Roll-ups

My Mom always did a great job packing our lunches while we were in school.  And yes, I was one of those kids whose Mom packed their lunch up until their very last day of high school - thanks Mom!

As most kids do, I went through phases of liking certain things more than others.  Only wanting turkey sandwiches with nothing but turkey and bread (how boring!) and loving peanut butter and jelly (minus the jelly).  But I always got excited when my Mom would change it up a bit with something new and Tortilla Roll-ups were definitely a pleasant surprise.

Now while I don't have school aged children yet, we had a playdate this week with a good friend and her little ones, so I decided to whip up some of these roll-ups for the occasion.

This is my grown up version of Tortilla Roll-ups (with lots of yummy things inside), but my girls love them, so your kiddos probably will too!

Tortilla Roll-ups

Serves 3 (big kids) - 6 (little kids)

Ingredients:
1 block cream cheese
1 can diced green chiles
1 small can sliced black olives
1 tablespoon fresh chives (or one green onion, sliced)
6 slices of ham
6 flour tortillas

Directions:
Set cream cheese out on kitchen counter for 30 mins. or so to allow it to soften.  Meanwhile, drain black olives and give them a rough chop.  Slice green onions or chop chives (both are tasty so use what you like best).  Place green onions (or chives), roughly chopped black olives, and canned green chiles into a large mixing bowl.  Stir to combine.

Add your cream cheese to the green onion, olive and green chile mixture.  Work the cream cheese into the mixture with a wooden spoon.  Mix until the cream cheese is completely combined.

Now for the roll-ups.  Using a spatula, spread 1/6th of the mixture evenly on top of a flour tortilla and place a piece of ham on top.  Roll up your tortilla.

Pack two tortilla roll-ups (or one for an elementary age student) for lunch by wrapping them in plastic wrap.

If your little ones (or bigger teen ones) prefer little finger foods, slice tortillas and pack in a small tupperware container. 

The sliced version make a wonderful appetizer or a finger food dish to bring to a party.

And hey, grown-ups love these things to, so even if you don't have kids, make some of these for yourself for lunch - you will love them - deeeelish!

Cottage Mama's Note:  If your children prefer are more simplistic recipe, just make these with plain cream cheese and ham.  It will still be something different than their regular sandwich. Pin It

Sew Basics: Applique

Applique is a great way to add detail to your favorite sewing project.  I define applique as a piece of fabric sewn on top of another piece of fabric (though some might consider embroidered patches as applique as well).  You can add applique to quilts, shirts, blankets, onesies, bibs, burp clothes and the list goes on and on.  Applique is very simple and is a great project for the beginning sewer.   

Here are the supplies needed for basic applique:

Double-Sided Fusible Interfacing
(such as Wonder-Under or Steam-A-Seam Lite - these are the two I use)
Scissors
Pencil (if drawing your applique)
Sewing Machine
Thread
Iron
Ironing Board

To demonstrate the applique technique, I will walk you through a couple items I made recently for my etsy shop, The Cottage Mama - an appliqued "tie" shirt and a basic square applique "Little Red Riding Hood" onesie.

First you need to cut out your pattern.  You can be as detailed or as basic as you like.  For basic applique, as seen above, cut your pattern out of fabric AND cut the same pattern out of your fusible interfacing.  If your design is very detailed, I might recommend fusing your interfacing onto a larger piece of fabric first and then cutting out your pattern (it will just make your life easier that way).

Double-sided fusible interfacing will have a paper backing on both sides.  For the next step you need to remove ONE side of the paper backing.

Next place your fabric (right-side up) on top of the side of interfacing WITHOUT the paper backing.  This is the side that you just removed the paper backing from in the previous step.  Use a hot iron and iron the fabric to the interfacing. 

Now your interfacing is fused to your fabric applique pieces.  One side is fabric and the other side will feel like paper (because it still has the paper backing on).

Remove the paper backing from the wrong-side of the fabric.  You will notice that there is a thin layer of interfacing that is now fused to the fabric.

Place your applique piece where you would like it to be position, in this case, on the front and center of a onesie.

For the tie, there are two pieces, so place the first piece in position and then the second.

At this point you can play around with your applique pieces and move them around until you get them positioned just right.

Once you have them positioned, use your hot iron to fuse the applique to your other piece of fabric (again, in this case a onesie and a t-shirt).  After ironing, your applique will pretty much be secured in place.

I prefer to take it a step further and stitch around the applique piece.  For the tie, I did a very tight zig-zag stitch (almost resembling a satin stitch).  To do this, set your machine on a regular zig-zag stitch and reduce the stitch-length almost as low as it will go (I set mine on .3).  It's always good to do a test run before actually stitching on your applique (trust me, I learned this the hard way).

If you have trouble getting your machine to feed the fabric on such a low stitch-length, try setting it a little higher and try again.  Like I said, always test it out to see if the stitch meets your expectations.

I like to set my stitch-width to 3.0 or 2.5 for this type of applique, but again, that is all personal preference.  Make sure to stitch along the very edge of the applique piece.  This will ensure a clean line and no fraying after washing.

For the Little Red Riding Hood Onesie I used a longer stitch-length as I wanted to be able to see the zig-zags.  I also used a little bit narrower stitch-width as well.

After stitching around the applique, I added additional detail by doing some hand embroidery on the trees as well as around the border of the applique.  I think this attention to detail makes this onesie truly special!

I just love the simplicity of this appliqued onesie.  I used a Japanese import (linen/cotton blend) fabric for the main applique.  The onesie is made from organic cotton and recycled polyester and is amazingly soft.

Here are a few other examples of some past applique techniques:

I don't know if you remember my Dress Shirt Sleep Sack Tutorial, but here I used a basic flower applique.

I used fusible interfacing and applied it to a large floral fabric (Church Flowers from "Nicey Jane" by Heather Bailey).  After applying the interfacing I cut more detail around the flower.  I found it much easier to cut once I already had the interfacing applied.

Then I ironed my applique piece onto the sleep sack.  To stitch this applique, I simply used a straight-stitch around the border.

For my Sleepover Pillowcase Tutorial, I applied fusible interfacing to a large square of fabric.  I then hand-drew these letters for the monogram and cut them out.  Then I removed the final paper-backing, ironed them on the edge of the pillowcase, and used a zig-zag stitch to finish the applique.

Here is a onesie from my etsy shop.  On this "tie" onesie I used a straight-stitch to finish the applique.  In this case, I thought a slightly frayed edge would be really hip and cute for a little boy.  If you do not like the frayed look, then I would not recommend using a straight-stitch.  I apply Fray-Check to the edge of all of my straight-stitch appliques.  I think this helps make the edge fray slightly, but not look sloppy.

And finally, this is Savannah's "S" pillow that I made for her big girl room.  I used a heavier interfacing for the "S" because I wanted it to stand out a bit more.  The fabric used here is Heather Bailey's "Freshcut".  For most applique work, I use Wonder-Under or Steam-a-seam Lite, but there are some instances that I just like an interfacing with a little more body.

Cottage Mama's Note:  If you have any questions in regards to my "Sew Basics" series, please don't hesitate to email (thecottagemama@gmail.com) or comment and I'm happy to help. Pin It

DIY Laminated Alphabet Flashcards

My 2.5 year old daughter, Savannah, is really into her alphabet lately.  She loves to sing the ABC song and can identify most of her letters (I'll take credit for the song, but I really think Sesame Street has helped her along her way with the letters).  I thought I would take advantage of this little ABC phase she is going through and make her some fun little flashcards.

Jill from Homemade by Jill posted these adorable Alphabet cards on her blog as a free printable.  When I saw this post pop up in my reader, I knew I must do something for Savannah with these cutie little cards. 

So I decided to print the alphabet cards, laminate them, cut them into flashcard size and put them all on a big binder ring.  Did you know that you can laminate things yourself at home?  Well, you can and it is SO easy and fun!!

This is the product I bought from my local Office Max store.  These are self-laminating sheets for laminating things at home.  You just peal off the back of the laminating sheet, then you place your sheet of paper or whatever you are trying to laminate on top.  Then peal off the back of another sheet and place it on the opposite side of whatever you are laminating.  It was ridiculously easy and a fraction of the cost of what it would have cost me to have these all laminated at Kinko's or some other store.  Plus I have a bunch leftover for other projects!

After I laminated each sheet of paper, I used my handy paper cuter to cut each card to size.  If you don't have a paper cutter, I would highly recommend you get one.  You can use it for so many different things, it also makes perfect cuts, and definitely makes your projects move much quicker than using traditional scissors.  Look for a 40% off coupon to Joann's or Michael's and they end up being very reasonably priced.

After I cut each card, I punched a hole in the left-hand corner and slid them all onto a binder ring.

Now we have a lovely set of alphabet flash cards ready to use!  I'm hoping the laminating will make them last longer.  Also, I think keeping them on a binder ring will save my sanity.  We have some other sets of flashcards and they end up all over the house which drives me crazy - hopefully this will keep them all together in one place!!

Thanks, Jill, for putting together this wonderful printable!

Cottage Mama's Note:  These would be great for an infant learning their first words too.  Then, when they get a little older, they can focus on learning their letters.  I think I will be making a set for numbers and a bunch of other learning topics.  So fun and easy! Pin It

The Cottage Mama's Favorites: Sewing Books

Sewing books and cook books - two of my most favorite things!  It might sound totally dorky, but give me a glass of red wine and a good sewing book to dive into and you've got my idea of a great evening!  I will never have too many nor ever get tired of looking at either of these genres of books.  They are so incredibly inspiring and constantly compel me to create.

Luckily for me, my local library does a great job of keeping up with the newest book releases in sewing and crafting.  Sometimes it might take me a few weeks to get my hands on a new release (or a few months if it's Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts), but usually the wait is not too long.  Though I am a huge fan of the library (you can find us there weekly), sometimes there are books that you just want to own.

I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you.  These are my go-to books, the ones that I refer to time and time again.

Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner.  I love this book for several reasons.  One, I think it has an amazing amount of basic information for the beginning sewer, but it also has new tips and tricks for even the advanced sewer.  I am constantly using this book as a reference (it's on my night-stand as we speak).  And two, the photography is gorgeous.  I love looking at all the fun projects (which include organization, home decor., clothing, fashion, baby items) made from gorgeous fabrics.  There are super-simple projects to advanced projects and some really great out-of-the-box ideas.

One Yard Wonders.  This book is FULL of projects (over 100) and they all take one-yard of fabric or less.  I don't think I have ever seen so many projects or ideas in one book.  The book includes pattern pieces for all the the projects (which like I said, is a lot!).  Such a fun book for someone who is looking to get into sewing.  Would be a really great gift for a teenager or young-adult as many of the projects are fun and hip.

Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross.  This is a book that I love, but I do not own.  I am constantly checking this one out of my local library.  I love it (don't ask me why I haven't purchased it yet).  The projects are for beginning to intermediate sewers.  Most of the projects are small on the amount of time that they take to complete (hence the title of the book), so if you are what I like to call, a "finisher" (those that wish they enjoyed the process of sewing, but really just like to see the end result), you will love this book!  Heather uses some of the most gorgeous fabrics and the photos are serious eye-candy.

Next to Anna Maria Horner, this is my other go-to reference book.  Bend-the-Rules with Sewing by Amy Karol has a wealth of information for the beginning sewer.  Everything from understanding different types of fabric, to sewing needles, embroidery stitches, how to sew on different types of buttons, making your own bias tape, and the list goes on!  My only issue with this book is that is does not include pattern pieces.  In the back of the book there are pictures of pattern pieces, but she instructs you on how large to blow them up and you have to get them printed somewhere.........not my favorite.  But I still use this book a ton as a resource and for inspiration.

 
Sew Darn Cute by Jenny Ryan.  I am in love with this book!  It has some of the most adorable little projects I have ever seen.  As most of you know, I love vintage inspired things, so this book has it all.  It's got tons of vintage inspired projects that incorporate modern fabrics and have exceptional attention to detail with little buttons and fun trims.  If you are a fan of rick-rack, bias tape, fabric yo-yo's and all things vintage, you must buy this book!

These are my two favorite serger books (The Complete Serger Handbook and Ready, Set, Serge).  I don't know about you, but the manual that came with my serger (Brother 1034D) really did not tell me much.  I taught myself how to sew and I taught myself how to serge. 

I really think these two books have been my saving grace in regards to learning all there is to know about how to serge and the capabilities of my machine.  I seriously starred at my serger for days before I actually touched it for fear I would mess something up.  These books got me through and they can help you too!


Cottage Mama's Note:  I have a couple other sewing books that should be arriving in the next week, so if I love them, I'll be sure to let you know!

I do have two Amy Butler books, In-Stitches and Little Stitches for Little Ones and these are two I would not recommend unless you are an advanced sewer.  I find some of the instructions to be confusing and the projects use a TON of supplies (i.e. different types of interfacing, lots of fabric, ect.).  The pictures are beautiful, but I haven't found the projects to be worth the time and effort.  In my opinion, I would check these out from the library first to see if they work for you and your sewing style.

What are some of your favorite sewing books?  What's on your wish list?

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