Blog Sponsor Giveaway: Shabby Fabrics

Last month we had a great new blog sponsor join The Cottage Home blog and I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce them.  Shabby Fabrics has a wonderful giveaway for you all today, so please welcome our newest sponsor..........

Here are a few words from Shabby Fabrics:

My name is Jennifer Bosworth, owner of Shabby Fabrics. I am honored to be a guest at The Cottage Home.  Thank you so much, Lindsay!

The Shabby Fabrics story begins here. All along while growing up, I loved arts and crafts with every ounce of my being. When it came time to choose a career and go to college, I figured I couldn't make a living crafting so I pursued an aeronautical degree and became an airline pilot. I would take my hand sewing with me on trips and stitch to my heart's content while laying over at various hotels.  The love of crafting never left me. 

The events of September 11, 2001 changed the entire world and definitely my own personal world in a very big way.  Soon thereafter the airlines began furloughing pilots. Both my husband (also a United pilot) and I found ourselves out of work with no health care, two children and a mortgage. These were indeed uncertain and scary times. All of the flying experience  I had accumulated over the last 20+ years suddenly meant nothing. No one was hiring pilots. I knew I would have to reinvent myself and awaken a skill set that I never even  knew I had.  After much prayer and contemplation, I felt God urging me to do something I loved and knew a great deal about already. After all, we needed to find work right away! I applied for a business license and  began selling a few fabrics on ebay. 

Ten years later, we are selling fabrics from our own website worldwide and loving every moment. There is no question that God is behind the success of Shabby Fabrics. I have a wonderful staff that I enjoy working with each day. Besides buying products and deciding which projects will becomes kits, block of the month, etc, I also design a line of quilt patterns called Shabby Exclusives. Some of our designs have been featured recently in McCalls magazine. When I think to the future of our company, I remind myself to remain flexible and attentive to God's word and plan. After all, He's the author of this great book.

Blessings to you all,
Jennifer

Thank you so much, Jennifer for sharing your story with all of the readers.  And now I wanted to share some of my favorite items from Shabby Fabrics........

 

I am a big fan of kits, so I love the two pictured above - Annie Basket Quilt Kit and Cupcake Cuties Kit.  You can find all sorts of quilt kits as well as purse, home accessories and more.  Kits are so convenient because you can have everything you need to complete a project delivered right to your door.  I'm planning on doing some kits to go along with The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns in the future.

Are you thinking about Christmas yet?  It will be here before we all know it and I love the 12 Days of Christmas Collection.

You all know I'm not much of a quilter, but I just love the quilt pattern pictured above.  How perfect would this be for a wedding or anniversary gift?  LOVE it!

So now onto the giveaway........

Today Shabby Fabrics has an incredibly generous giveaway for The Cottage Home blog readers.  They are giving away one $50.00 gift certificate and two $25.00 gift certificates to be used in their shop.

To enter the giveaway, please do one or all of the following.  Leave a separate comment for each entry:

1) Visit Shabby Fabrics and let us know what your favorite item is in their shop (click HERE).

2) Sign up for the Shabby Fabrics Newsletter (click HERE).

3) Become a follower of the Shabby Fabrics Blog (click HERE).

Giveaway is open until October 4, 2011 at midnight (CST).

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of The Cottage Home blog, please email Lindsay at thecottagemama [at]gmail[dot]com for rates and additional information.

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The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns

I am very pleased to announce the release of my first two printed sewing patterns!

Shortcake Reversible Romper and Dress

Janey Jumper

These two patterns have been a labor of love for me and I have been working them for the last four months or so.  I've learned a lot along the way in regards to publishing printed patterns and I'm looking forward to working on more in the future.  

So without further ado.....here are the first two The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns:

 SHORTCAKE REVERSIBLE ROMPER AND DRESS:

Size 6 Month - Size 6

DESCRIPTION:

The Shortcake Reversible Romper and Dress is an adorable, quick-sew essential for your little one’s wardrobe.  The perfect coordinating look for sisters!  Both garments are fully reversible (two looks in one) and tie at the shoulder.  The dress can easily grow with your child by turning it into a top. Take these outfits from summer into fall by layering them with a long-sleeve shirt and pants/tights.  

Neither garment includes any buttonholes or zippers, so this pattern is a great introduction to sewing for a beginner and a fun pattern to play around with for a more advanced seamstress.

 
Shortcake Reversible Romper:

 Shortcake Reversible Dress:

The dress is designed to have a lot of swing to it, so it's really a fun piece for little girls to wear.  The final picture, with the ruffle front is a variation, is a look that I will eventually be demonstrating on the blog so you will be able to easily add that to your Shortcake Dress! 

The Shortcake Reversible Romper and Dress pattern has a color printed front and back cover and includes full-size printed pattern pieces in size 6 month through girls size 6 as well as pictured step-by-step instructions for completing the romper and the dress.  All sizes included in each pattern.

JANEY JUMPER:

Size 6 Month - Girls Size 10

DESCRIPTION:

The Janey Jumper is an A-line dress with a back-button, loop closure and is offered in three different design variations.  View A has a unique scallop detail down the front in two contrasting fabrics.  View B, the ruffle variation, adds a bit of whimsy to the traditional A-line dress.  And, View C, the patchwork variation, offers a fun way to use up scraps of fabric or charm squares.  Both View B and C give you the opportunity to use beautiful, unique trims. 

Neither garment includes any buttonholes or zippers, so this pattern is a great introduction to sewing for a beginner and a fun pattern to play around with for the more advanced seamstress.

Janey Jumper View A and B:

Janey Jumper View A - Scallop Variation:

Janey Jumper View B - Ruffle Front Variation:

Janey Jumper View C - Patchwork Variation:

So, as you can see there are many different design options with the Janey Jumper sewing pattern.  The jumper is designed to fall at the knee which is a perfect length for playing and running around.  For fall and winter, I would suggest layering this dress with a long-sleeved shirt and leggings or tights.  The 6 month size can also be used as the perfect matching little doll dress for a cabbage patch or other baby doll. 

The Janey Jumper pattern has a color printed front and back cover and includes printed pattern pieces in size 6 month through girls size 10 as well as pictured step-by-step instructions for completing the three different design variations.  All sizes included in each pattern.

Additional Information:

For right now I plan to do printed sewing patterns, but I may venture into a few PDF's on more simple designs further down the line.  Both of these patterns have very large pattern pieces and, believe me when I tell you, that you would not want to have to print these on your home computer and tape them together.

I'd like to give a special thanks to my design artist, Natalie Michalski of Moon Cookie Gallery.  Natalie designed the front and back cover art as well as several different graphics that are used in the instruction portion of the pattern.  We hope to collaborate on some projects in the future to combine her whimsical artwork with The Cottage Mama sewing design.  To view more of her original work and to order prints, please visit her website www.mooncookiegallery.com.

To purchase one or both of The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns, please click "add to cart" below.  Or you can visit my online shop at www.thecottagemama.com.

Size 6 Month - Girls Size 6

$12.50

Size 6 Month - Girls Size 10

$12.50

For pattern wholesale inquiries, please email Lindsay at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com for ordering minimums and additional information.

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Mexican Taco Pasta Bake

Life with three kids is going pretty well.  Have I touched my sewing machine since Caspian was born? Well, no, not even once.  I'll get back to the machine eventually - it's always there waiting for me, ready to welcome me back with open arms.  But this little guy.......he's already growing up right before my eyes, so I am trying to soak up all the little baby time possible.

One of my biggest challenges has been preparing dinner because I'm never quite sure when my little guy is going to nurse.  He tends to want to eat right when I should be cooking dinner - go figure, right?  However, he seems to be doing a pretty good mid-afternoon nap, so I'm trying out some new recipes that I can prepare during the day and then just pop in the oven before dinner.

Today I'm sharing my latest recipe that I tried out last night.  I'm calling it "Mexican Taco Pasta Bake".  It's really all the flavors in a taco, but mixed is mixed in with pasta and cheese.  What could be bad about that, right?

The next time you want to prepare a meal ahead of time, give this one a try.  My husband even went back for thirds!  Would also be great to feed a crowd and your kids will love it too!!

Mexican Taco Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 lb. pasta (any shape)

1 onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 can Rotel (tomatoes with green chile)

1 package taco seasoning

1/2 brick light cream cheese

1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Topping:

1 cup crushed tortilla chips

1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Garnish:

Sliced green onions, slice black olives, and sour cream.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a large saute pan.  Remove beef from pan and drain on a paper towel.  Add onion and green pepper to pan and saute until cooked through.  Add back in cooked ground beef, taco seasoning and Rotel.  Stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes.  Add in cream cheese and melt it down into the beef mixture.  Once cream cheese is melted, add 1/2 cup shredded cheese.  

Drain pasta.  Pour beef and cheese mixture over cooked pasta and stir to combine.  Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray.  Pour combined pasta and beef mixture into the casserole dish.

Sprinkle the top of the pasta with crushed tortilla chips combined with shredded cheese.  Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Might need a little longer if it has been refrigerated.  Basically you are just melting the cheese and heating it through since all the ingredients are already cooked.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of sliced green onions and black olives.

 

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Accuquilt GO! Baby Fabric Cutter Giveaway

 This is probably one of my most favorite giveaways that I have done here on the blog!  Today we are giving away an Accuquilt GO! Baby Fabric Cutter PLUS three dies of your choice to one very, very lucky The Cottage Home blog reader.  Pretty cool, right?  I love this sewing/quilting tool and I know you will too!

In case you missed my previous post about the girls appliqued shirts that I made recently.  Here are some pictures of several of them that I made using my own Accuquilt GO! Baby Fabric Cutter.....

So, would you like to win your very own GO! Baby Fabric Cutter with three dies of your choice?

Here's how to enter - Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  You can do one or all of the following:

1) Leave a comment letting me know what you would make with your GO! Baby Fabric Cutter.

2) Become a follower of The Cottage Home blog (follow via Google Friend Connect in the left side-bar of the blog).

3) Become a fan of The Cottage Mama on Facebook (click HERE to sign up).

4) Sign up to receive 22 FREE Patterns from Accuquilt (click picture link below).

Giveaway is open to US residents only. Winner will receive one Accuquilt GO! Baby Fabric Cutter plus three dies of their choosing.  Giveaway open through September 29, 2011 at midnight (CST).

Good Luck!

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Fall Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial

Since I am taking some time off to enjoy our new baby boy, I thought I would re-post one of my favorite fall tutorials from last year.  I know a bunch of you are new to the blog (thanks so much for joining us), so you might have missed this one.  This is a really easy and inexpensive fall project, but I just love the end result!

It's really starting to feel like fall here in the Midwest.  We still have our occasional warm day, but for the most part fall is upon us.  Fall is my favorite time of year with all the fun festivals, pumpkin patches, apple orchards.......I truly value the beautiful seasons each year.

Since it finally feels like fall, I think it's time to get out some decorations for around the house.  I wanted to make something for our home that tied in with the season as well as our decor.  Though I tend to use bright colors in my clothing design, my home is decorated in more rich tones....think deep red, green, mahogany and cherry wood.  I came up with these chubby fabric pumpkins and can't wait to put them around the house.  I thought you might like to make some too.........so here's the "how to":

Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial

Supplies:

Fabric pieces - variety of sizes

2 pieces of brown felt

1 piece tan felt

Fiberfill or other stuffing material

Brown embroidery floss

Thick twine

Hand-sewing needle

Sewing Machine

Decorative wire berries (optional)

Directions:

Gather your fabric.  I found these upholstery fabric samples at Joann's for $2.00 a piece.  They were discontinued special order fabrics.  I decided to use decorator fabric because I love the variation in textures and designs, but you could definitely used quilting cotton for this project if you would prefer.

Cut your fabric.  I wanted my pumpkins to be all different sizes since no two pumpkins are ever the same.  Here are some of the measurements I used:

17.5" x 10"

17.5" x 12"

12" x 6"

12.5" x 7.5"

17" x 13"

Basically you are looking to cut out a rectangle shape.

Fold your rectangle, right-sides together.  Stitch down the long-side (side to the right) with a regular straight-stitch.  Then run a gathering stitch around the top and the bottom (leaving the top and bottom OPEN).  Turn right-side out.

Pull the bobbin thread to start gathering one of the ends.  Work the gather until you have pulled it as closed as possible.  If you are using regular cotton this will be much easier.  If you are using decorator fabrics, this can take some time.  You may also consider hand-sewing a large straight stitch with embroidery floss and using that to gather instead of your machine (my thread broke on one of my pumpkins).  Either way will work. 

This is as tight as I could pull my bobbin thread with the upholstery fabric.  Tie your thread ends together and turn it in-side out again.

Place the gathered end in your sewing machine and stitch to close.  You will have to kind of jam the fabric under the foot as it is very thick, but don't worry, your machine can handle it.  You may also choose to hand-sew the opening closed with embroidery floss.

Next fill your pumpkin with fiberfill or whatever type of stuffing you have on hand.

Once you have stuffed your pumpkin, pull the bobbin thread from your other gathering stitch to begin to close the opening.

Close the opening entirely by hand-sewing.

Take your twine and wrap it around the pumpkin (very tightly).  Do this as if you were wrapping a present.  Loop it around, then cross-over, around and cross-over.  You will cross-over at the top and bottom of the pumpkin.  Go back and forth until you have 6-8 sections on each pumpkin.  Finish by simply tying in a knot.

You may need to slide the twine around until you have even look sections - just work it until you like the look.

Next you will need to make your stems and leaves.  I made each stem a different size, so just cut out whatever shape you like from your brown felt.  I also machine stitched on top of the felt to add some texture.  Place both stem pieces together (right-sides together) and stitch around the curve (leave the straight-side open).  Turn right-side out.

Suff your stem with fiberfill.

Cut out two to three leaves per pumpkin.  I did mostly brown leaves and a couple tan ones.  Again, I machine stitched veins onto the brown felt with brown thread.  This is your opportunity to be creative......cut your leaves out in any shape or size that you like.  Mine were all different.

Next hand-sew your stem and leaves to the top of each pumpkin.  There is no special technique here.  Just place the leaves where you like and stitch away.

You can certainly skip the stitching on the stem and the leaves, but I think it adds a more realistic feel to the pumpkins.

For a final finishing touch, I took a bunch of deep red and green berries and added them to the top of each pumpkin.  This was just one bunch that I purchased at Joann's.  I cut the bunch apart and wrapped two wire pieces around each stem.  To make the curls, wrap the wire around a pen or pencil.

On a couple of the tan leaves, I hand embroidered some detail.  I like the contrast between the tan leaves and the brown ones.  You could hand-embroider all of the leaves or machine-stitch all of them......again, it's up to you.

And there you have it - a family of festive fall fabric pumpkins!

They are just so cute, don't you think?  I could just squeeze them!  Well, I won't, but my daughter Savannah already did......she gave each one a hug and said, "I love you pumpkins!".

Happy Fall!

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