Easter 2013

I know it's a little late, but I wanted to share some Easter pictures with you all and fill you in on what we've been up to the last couple weeks.

 The girls in their Easter dresses.

For Spring break / Easter we went to visit my mom (aka Grandma Jane) and Pepo down in Texas. It was just the breath of fresh air that I needed getting away from the cold, dreary Chicago winter. It gave me a glimpse of what's to come in the next few months weather-wise here at home. Oh, how I love warm weather and sunshine! I don't think most of the folks down there thought it was warm, but for us, 70 degrees was just perfect.

 Savannah loved the Easter bunny this year.

I flew down with the three kids by myself (yes, I know, I'm crazy) and then my husband met us down there about four days later. The kids did such a great job on the airplane. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous (I mean very nervous) about how this would go all by myself. It's one thing to travel with three kids, but three kids age five and under is an entirely different beast.

I got some really great advice from a lot of you over on The Cottage Mama fan page, so I really appreciate all your great tips and tricks. I made sure I had all of our electronic devices (LeapPad, iPad, iPhone), some treats the kids don't normally have at home and some board books for the little man. Caspian sat on my lap the whole flight and never tried to get down (thank goodness). I just tried to stay one step ahead of him and what he might need. I knew what trick (or treat) I would be pulling out each time he got a little antsy. And the biggest relief was that no one needed to go potty or needed a diaper change on the plane. Woooohooo!

 Caspian and Pepo (aka Grandpa)

 Caspian's first real egg hunt.

 We tried to get a picture with all the grand-kids, but this is as good as we got.

We had such a lovely trip. We took the kids to the children's museum, the Houston zoo, Chuck E. Cheese (they had never been before), played outside in the yard, played with bubbles and gardening tools. My mom's husband, Pepo, is a top-notch golfer. They had little toy golf sets for the kids and he taught them a thing or too when it came to golf.

 Most pictures of Caspian look like this these days......he's always on the move.

The Easter bunny came to visit us in Houston. We attended my mom and Pepo's church and had a fantastic brunch and Easter egg hunt at their Country Club. It had an incredible spread of food and I love to eat, so I was in total heaven. There was every kind of salad you could think of, tons of boiled shrimp, smoked salmon, an omelet station, pancakes, waffles, biscuits and gravy, fruit, pastries, fancy cheeses, all kinds of fruit, pork loin, crab stuffed fish, roasted lamb, sliced beef, broccoli gratin, wild rice, roasted potatoes, cheese grits, roasted vegetables. Oh and the desserts.......red velvet cupcakes, pecan pie, tres-leche cake, coconut cake, chocolate cake and so on. Did I make you hungry? Can you tell I like food? I'm hungry just thinking about it all!

 Savannah's Easter Dress

 Savannah's Easter Dress

(Pattern: Children's Corner 'Mallory')

 Caspian and Daddy 

We really just had such a great time. I felt so happy in Texas. Every time I leave my mom, my heart hurts. Do you know what that feels like? It is my dream to live close to her someday. It just seems like life is so short that it saddens me that we don't get to spend more time together. I don't know if it will ever happen as life has us drawn us in different directions. But maybe it's true, absence makes the heart grow fonder? I'm sure that's true. But I'm sure my heart would be just as fond, if she were right down the street. Who knows? Maybe it will work out someday, but for now I cherish every visit I get to have with her. She is truly the best mom and friend that I could ever imagine.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and got the chance to spend some time with loved ones that are near and dear to your heart!

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Matilda's Easter Dress

We are flying down to Texas next week for Spring Break / Easter and I've been working on the kids coordinating Easter outfits so they are all ready before we leave. I decided to start with Matilda's dress and use a pattern I've been dying to try!

This dress was made using the Harper Dress pattern by the Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop. I changed a few things here and there, but for the most part followed the pattern instructions and design. I love how this dress came together. There are so many different elements that I think are so sweet for a little girl.

The Harper Dress pattern is PDF printable pattern (size 3 months - 8 years) and was very user-friendly and easy to follow. I would say this is an intermediate level pattern. I probably wouldn't attempt it as one of my first dresses. Like I said, the instructions are fantastic, but it will be a lot easier if you have some of the basic skills down such as buttonholes, applying bias tape and gathering fabric for ruffles. Once you feel like you've got those skills down, then I would definitely give this pattern a try!

The fabric for this dress was from 'ABC 123' by American Jane for Moda. This sweet little flowers just stole my heart. American Jane always has such adorable fabrics with a slightly vintage vibe.

 

I decided to use a 1/4'' bias binding instead of a 1/2'' just because I thought it would be little and sweet. Also, I chose to use six buttons on the top of the dress instead of the four shown in the pattern.

I made the bias binding from a green gingham cotton fabric from Fabric Finders. I have a handy dandy little bias tape tool that you use with your iron, but it did take me a little bit of time to make all of the bias binding.

I also used the bias binding and attached it around the waistline with a little bow. The pattern includes a wider waistband with button closure, but I wanted something a little more petite. I love the way this turned out. I'm thinking of incorporating something similar into one of my next patterns that will be released in May.

For the ruffles, I used a rolled hem on my serger. I'm not always a fan of the rolled hem. Sometimes I don't think it looks as professional, but because the main skirt is a single layer of fabric, I didn't want the ruffles to be too heavy, so I thought it would lighten them up by using the rolled hem.

I adore this dress. I can definitely see myself making more of this one. Often I make a pattern and never make it again, but I think this sweet little pattern will be used again for sure. I have some visions of other fabric combinations that would work so well with this design. If you've never visited the Peek-a-book Pattern Shop, you should head over there a take a peek, they carry so many cute patterns!

PS: Peek-a-book Pattern Shop is running a 25% off site wide sale through 3/23/13 on all patterns with the coupon code: DRIPDROP. Click here to check it out.

Here's what's up next on my Easter sewing to-do list........

 Can you guess who's outfit this will be?

Yep, next up.......an outfit for the little man.

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This Past Weeks Happenings....

Wow, is the week over yet?  I can't believe it's not Friday yet........it seems like this week has been so crazy busy.  I spent this past weekend and last few days sewing up a storm in preparation for a photo shoot for my upcoming sewing patterns.  Not to mention spending some much needed time with my family celebrating Easter.

Garments for pattern photo shoot

Our photo shoot was today with Amy Tripple Photography and it went really well.  I have never used Amy before but she came highly recommended from a friend and I was so excited by the whole experience.  I think she and I might have been related in a past life.  Well, not really, but it's so refreshing to meet another kindred creative soul and she was definitely that.

I wasn't quite sure how the kids would do taking direction from someone they had never met before, but surprisingly they listened to her even more than me (go figure).  We had two little toddler boys join us for the shoot that were selected from The Cottage Mama Facebook Fan page.  They were absolutely adorable......exactly what I thought they would be.  I have yet to see any of the images, but I am so, so excited to see what Amy captured and to share these new creations with you all.

Saturday morning we went to a local Easter egg hunt that proved to be lots of fun.  We had taken Savannah to one in the past but it was just too crazy and the poor little lady only got one egg.  But this year we tried a different one and it worked out great.  They had a different section for each age group.  Matilda was in the 2-3 year olds, Savannah was in the 4-5 year olds and they also had a 6-8 year old section (though we don't have anyone there yet).

Matilda's Coat ~ post found HERE

Savannah's Coat ~ post found HERE.

After the egg hunt we went exploring around this gorgeous park to take in the beauty of spring.

Cottage Mama (me) with my babies.

I took Sunday off completely to really enjoy and celebrate Easter with my family.  We attended Mass in the morning and had a lovely Easter brunch at a local seafood restaurant.

Matilda Party Dress (post HERE) and Savannah Orange Dress (post HERE)

I didn't make any special Easter outfits this year, but all the kids had on something handmade.  I feel like we have quite a few special occasion handmade dresses hanging in the girls closet that I wanted to make sure they got plenty of wear.  Savannah wore her orange birthday dress and Matilda wore the 'Party Dress' (free pattern here) that was originally Savannah's but now seems to fit her perfectly.

Caspian and his Godmother, Aunt Katie

Savannah and Matilda with Uncle Bryan and Aunt Abby

The kids with Gigi and Grumpy (Brett's parents)

After brunch we took some family pictures by the river that runs right next to our house.  Sometimes I don't think I really embrace and appreciate where we live.  We are very blessed to live in such beautiful surroundings and though, I sometimes long for something different, we really have so much beauty right in our own backyard.  I guess Easter has a way of making all things seem new again.

Finally we ended up back at our home for a final Easter egg hunt in the front yard while the adults watched on the front porch.  It might have been a busy weekend, but it sure was a great one!

We have had a wonderful last week and while I don't have any new sewing/crafty stuff to share with you right now, I hope you like this little peak into our personal family life.  

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Biscuit Corn Cakes with Goat Cheese and Blackberry-Thyme Sauce ~ Pillsbury Finalist Recipe

I know I've mentioned this before, but just in case you missed it, my mom (Grandma Jane) is one of the 100 finalists in the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest coming up at the end of March.  All the finalists' recipes have been made public, so I am thrilled to be able to share her recipe with you (it was a big secret until they officially published them).

Click here to read my original post about her becoming a finalist.

My little man (Caspian) and I will be flying to Orlando, FL next month to watch my mom compete.  We just found out this week that Martha Stewart will be announcing the $1 million dollar winner live on her show (oh, yeah, did I mention that the grand prize is $1 million buckaroos?!?!).  They will be setting up a set for her show in the lobby of the hotel where we are staying and announcing the winner from there ~ how cool is that?  She'll also be walking the floor while the contestants compete.  Usually the bake-off contest airs on the Food Network, but we've yet to find out the date for that one.

Who is going to win is anyone's guess.  All the top 100 recipes sound amazing.......I think it will totally depend on the judges tastes on the day of the competition.  But I have to tell you, I've tried Mom's recipe and it is awesome!  She will compete in the brunch category and the flavor profile she has created is incredibly complex.  You have the savory biscuit corn cake, the creamy goat cheese, the tart lemon and blackberry-thyme sauce.  I'm making myself hungry just thinking about it!

So here's her recipe if you would like to give it a try........

Biscuit Corn Cakes with Goat Cheese and Blackberry-Thyme Sauce

Serves 5 

(2 corn cakes per person)

If you try the recipe, let me know, I'd love to hear what you think.  This would be so good for Easter brunch if you are looking for something a little different to serve.  Also, if you would like a printer-friendly version of the recipe, you can print from the Pillsbury website by clicking HERE.

I think my little man has a pretty good resemblance to the Pillsbury dough-boy these days, so he just may be sporting a little costume for the competition.........you'll just have to wait and see!

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Dick and Jane Inspired Easter Dress - Bodice Tutorial

In case you missed my guest blog post on  "No Big Dill" about a month ago, here it is...........

To me, the "Dick and Jane" books are the epitome of retro, children's storybook classics.  The images in these books bring me such comfort.  They remind us of simpler times, they remind us when life was slower and more easy going.  I often wonder if I was born during the correct time period because it seems that everything vintage always has a soft-spot in my heart.

I personally did not grow up with the "Dick and Jane" book series, but my mom grew up learning to read from "Dick and Jane" books.  The books contain simple words with simple images, perfect for the new reader.

One of the most enjoyable parts of looking through these old classics are the illustrations of the children's clothing.  If you've ever been to my blog or etsy shop, you know that I love classic children's clothing so this time period is right up my alley!

I chose to do a "Dick and Jane" inspired look because I love sweet, classic, feminine dresses on little girls which is what Jane is all about.  So I guess we could say I came up with a "Jane" inspired look.

This entire dress (aside from the notions and the lining) was made from a $1.49 full-sized sheet that I found at my local thrift store last weekend.  I was waiting for some inspiration for this look and the sheet did the trick.  I love the pretty floral as well as the vintage feel I get from the sheet.  The scalloped edging was another vintage touch that I thought would be perfect for the "Jane" look - I can just see her wearing this dress in one of those books.

The above picture is the sheet prior to being turned into the dress.  It had this fabulous border across the top and little flowers on the rest of the sheet.

I thought I would show you today how to embellish the bodice of a dress.  You can take any tank dress pattern that you love and change up the bodice to make it your own.  If you don't have a bodice pattern that you really like, you can print my party dress pattern HERE and use that pattern.

The main, featured trim on this dress is this pink picot edge trim.  You can buy this online or you may be able to find it in your local fabric shop.  Since the lines of this dress were very classic, I wanted to make sure the trims were as well.

Cut four pieces of trim that are the same height as the bodice.  I like to cut mine a little longer just to be safe.

Next, grab your Wonder-Tape.  You all are probably so sick of hearing me talk about this product but it is one of my absolute favorites!  This is a double-sided tape for fabric that disappears in the wash.  You can use it to secure any trims that may be difficult to pin or where pin marks might show.  I find it holds trims with much more precision than pins - I use this on my piping as well.  You can definitely pin if you don't have this product, but I think this makes life SO much easier.

Apply your Wonder-Tape to the back-side of each piece of trim.  When you are ready to put your trim in place, remove the paper backing.

Apply your first two pieces of picot edging with the scalloped edging pointing outward.  Stitch down each piece of trim in coordinating thread.  I stitched close to the scalloped edge because your second piece will end up catching the other side.

Next, place your second piece of picot trim on top of the first.  Make sure to line it up perfectly so you can't see the plain edge of the first piece.  Stitch down the side close to the scallop edge.

Take a piece of coordinating fabric to use as your center focal point of the bodice.  I used two pieces since the sheet fabric was fairly thin, but you could definitely just use one and press the edges under.  To use the two pieces, measure the distance between your trims and add enough to account for your seam allowance - I used 1/4".  Stitch both pieces of fabric together leaving the top and the bottom open.  Turn right-side out and press.

Place your fabric in the middle of your trims and stitch into place.  You can leave the top and bottom edge raw because that will become concealed once you add your collar and bodice lining.

Stitch very close to the edge of the fabric - about 1/16" or 1/8" seam allowance.

Do all the embellishing on the bodice before you start sewing the dress.  That way your lining will conceal all the stitching on the bodice and you will have a beautifully lined top.

I did three pin-tucks on the skirt of the dress.  You can do this by adding an inch per pin-tuck to the length of the skirt.  So for this skirt piece, I added an additional 3 inches. 

I used petite piping in the collar.  You can make your own piping or used a packaged variety.  Click HERE to view my piping tutorial and HERE to find out how to make your own custom piping.

I think its in the little details that make the difference between a nice dress and a truly special and unique dress.  Back in the 50's and 60's, parents definitely valued quality over quantity when it came to clothing.  It's fun to take the time to make something special for our little ones - they deserve it, don't you think?

I think "Jane" would have been proud to wear this dress and Savannah loved wearing it on Easter!  She told me, "Mama, I look like a beautiful angel." - what a sweetheart!

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