Oliver + S Summer Picnic Blouse and Shorts: Modern Yardage Fabric Giveaway

So now that I have finished my last four patterns, I am in back-to-school sewing mode for my girls. We start back in the middle of next week, can you believe it? I wanted to share this little outfit that I made for Matilda who will be in her second year of preschool this year. Make sure you read all the way to the bottom of the post because I have an incredible fabric giveaway for your as well!

I have so many patterns in my stash that I have been just dying to try. I have had this Oliver + S Summer Picnic Shorts and Blouse pattern in my collection for about three years now. And seeing as though the version of this pattern that I have only goes up to size 4T, I figured I better get this sewn (since Matilda is currently wearing size 4).

Matilda's favorite color is blue. So when April (owner) from Modern Yardage asked me if I would like to sew some projects with their fabrics, I knew that 'Poppy Hop' by Cindy Lindgren for Modern Yardage in the Turquoise color-way would be perfect for this little outfit.

You might not have heard of Modern Yardage before, but they are a fantastic fabric manufacturer and to be honest, they are new to me as well. But I would like to tell you some things about them that set them apart from some other manufacturers in the quilting cotton fabric market.

All fabric designs available from Modern Yardage are available in three different scales. Seriously, this blew my mind. To me, one of the MOST important parts of designing a children's outfit with patterned fabric is scale. Many times I'll have pieces I want to put together, but if the scale isn't right for the piece then I just can't put those designs together. So you can choose just the right scale for each part of your garment.

All designs are printed on 100% pre-shrunk cotton (yes, I said PRE-SHRUNK) and for garment sewists, this is an amazing feature. No pre-washing....yay! The fabric is slightly heavier than traditional quilting cotton and has a wonderful feel (or hand). The fabrics are printed with environmentally-friendly, water-based textile pigments and they do not use any harsh acids or chemicals. Again, perfect for garments.

Finally, the fabrics are printed on demand. So when I got the three prints I selected for this garment, they were all printed out on one continuous piece of fabric. The fabric design is 44" wide, but is printed on 58" wide fabric, meaning the extra 14" has maybe a new craft project idea, a message from a designer, a coupon for your next sale........you never know.......it's always a surprise.

Here is little miss thing wearing her new blue outfit. I really should show you all the faces she gave me during this photo shoot........she was working it.

I didn't alter the pattern at all, which is kind of strange for me. But it's such a great design, I didn't want to detract from the look with too many embellishments. And the fabric was pretty busy as well. The only thing I added was some white piping in the seam on the blouse in the front and the back and then the two little white buttons.

I always add a 'The Cottage Mama' label to everything I make for the kids. If you are looking for garment labels, you can read more about mine here.

I thought the fit was absolutely perfect. Matilda is spot on in a size 4 commercial clothing and I don't think these pieces could have fit any better. The only thing I would do differently is that I don't think I will finish the back elastic waistband the same as the pattern calls for next time. I wasn't a big fan of being able to see some of the elastic on the inside of the shorts, but it was a great technique if you wanted to use adjustable waist elastic.

Oliver + S instructions are so easy to understand and follow. They come with black and white illustrations that are very clear. I'd say this pattern would be great for an intermediate or confident beginner.

And here is one more shot of Miss Matilda. Just so you know.......80% of my pictures of her end up with her in this position. Apparently she thinks this is her best pose. Silly girl.

So how about some fabric?

Would you like to win 5 YARDS of fabric of your choice from Modern Yardage?

If so, please enter in the rafflecopter below. Giveaway open until Sunday, August 11 at midnight (CST).

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Riley Blake Fabric Fest Blog Hop and Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway!

   

So I know I mentioned it quite some time ago, but this September I will be heading to Las Vegas to teach at Riley Blake Designs 'Fabric Fest'! I'm so excited about this opportunity. I have really enjoyed working with the folks at Riley Blake Designs and I know their first conference is going to be amazing. There are going to be so many great classes and teachers during this conference.......if you haven't signed up, you definitely should. There is something for everyone!

I will be teaching three hands-on sewing classes during the conference and will be on a panel for one lecture class about finding your signature style. So what exactly am I teaching in the hands-on classes?

CLASS 1 - EMBELLISHING GARMENTS WITH TRIMS:

My 1st class is 'Embellishing Garments with Trims' and you all know how much I love trim! In this class we will be talking about using trims to embellish garments and how to use trims to pull a look together.

We will also be creating an embellished t-shirt during the class using all of the adorable trims from Riley Blake Designs.

Riley Blake Designs really has some of the best trims for embellishing! From every color rickrack, to different lace and crochet elastics, to picot edging and the most adorable buttons in all shapes, sizes and designs. For those students that sign up for the kit for the class, they will be receiving a sampling of trims from Riley Blake Designs!

My hope is that the take-away from this class will be how trims and the proper fabric pairing really can pull an entire look together and take a garment from ordinary to extraordinary!

CLASS 2 - LINED GARMENT CONSTRUCTION:

My second class is 'Lined Garment Construction'. This class makes me so excited because I get to teach some of my very favorite techniques for finishing the inside of lined garments including armholes and the hems of lined garments. These are all techniques that can be applied to some of my own, The Cottage Mama, sewing patterns and can be incorporated into other patterns as well.

Personally, when I sew a pattern from another designer, I don't always follow their construction instructions because I have a specific way I like to finish the insides of garments. I'm hoping the students will take away the techniques from the class and apply them into their everyday sewing. To help us learn the various techniques, we will be sewing the basic variation of The Cottage Mama 'Janey Jumper' pattern using some gorgeous Riley Blake Fabrics!

CLASS 3 - SEWING WITH PATTERNS:

My final hands-on class will be 'How to Sew with Patterns.' I know there are many people who just don't care to sew using commercial patterns. Either they have had a bad experience or just aren't quite sure how to interpret the different symbols and wording in a pattern. In this class we will be talking about sewing using paper patterns and PDF printable patterns, how to preserve paper patterns, transferring pattern markings and explaining what all the different markings mean...plus more. Students will leave this class feeling confident about being able to sew garments using patterns. We will be using the Katie Cupcake 'Elloise' pattern and students will leave with the garment cut out and ready to sew!

FAT QUARTER BUNDLE GIVEAWAY:

And because we are having so much fun talking about Riley Blake Designs Fabric Fest, I've got a great giveaway of one of their beautiful Fat Quarter Bundles (Kensington by Emily Taylor Designs for Riley Blake Designs)!

You can enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the blog post!

Subscribe to the NEW The Cottage Mama Newsletter

During the blog hop, these great sites will be blogging all about Fabric Fest and the wonderful classes they are teaching. They will also be giving away some great prizes, so you'll want to keep this list close by!

Wednesday, June 5

Jina Barney of Riley Blake Designs

Thursday, June 6
Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet

 Friday, June 7

Elizabeth and Liz Evans of Simply Simon & Co

Saturday, June 8

Nancy Zieman/Deanna Springer of Nancy Zieman.com

Monday, June 10

Melissa Mortenson of The Polka Dot Chair 

Tuesday, June 11

Carolina Moore of Always Expect Moore

Wednesday, June 12

Paige Hill of Riley Blake Designs, Jennifer of Tatertots and Jello,

Becky & Kari of U-Create

Thursday, June 13

Amanda Herring of The Quilted Fish

Friday, June 14

Kim Christopherson & Kris Thurgood of My Girlfriends Quilt Shoppe

Saturday, June 15

Bonnie Bailey on Riley Blake Designs

 Monday, June 17

Lila Tueller of Lila Tueller Designs

Tuesday, June 18

Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter

Wednesday, June 19

Lindsay Wilkes of The Cottage Mama

Thursday, June 20

Sue Daley of Sue Daley Designs

Friday, June 21

Eleanor Burns/ Sue Bouchard of Quilt in a Day

Saturday, June 22

Jenny, Natalie, & Sarah of Missouri Star Quilt Company

 Monday, June 24

Andrea Goddard of And I Sew

Tuesday, June 25

Becky, Brooke, Jamie, Kirsten, & Nikkala of The Crafting Chicks

Wednesday, June 26

Deonn Stott of Quiltscapes 

 Thursday, June 27

Sandy Workman of Pine Mountain Designs

Friday, June 28

Sydney Haglund of Memory Quilt Maker

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Sewing for Birch Organic Fabrics

Wow, this last week was probably one of the busiest I have had in a long time with all sorts of things going on..........whew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it. One of the projects on my to-do list was to finish some garments I designed for the Birch Organic Fabrics booth for International Quilt Market (which takes place in Houston at the end of the month).

Cynthia, the owner of Birch, sent me four different prints to work with and I honestly had no idea which fabrics she would be sending. It made it kind of fun......I'm so used to picking my own fabrics for specific designs, but this time it was the other way around.

I love working with the Birch Fabrics, they are absolutely lovely. Here are some of the pieces I created for them......

Isn't this fabric the cutest? I couldn't get enough of this one when it arrived in the mail. I have a few scrap pieces left of this print and I definitely think it will be added onto some of Mr. Caspian's clothing. This line called 'Camp Sur' and has a bunch of really great prints!

The shorts romper in the picture is my Run Around Romper pattern for boys and girls. 

This is my Janey Jumper pattern with a ruffle down the front. I have had this vintage trim in my stash for a long time and I was so excited when I saw how perfectly it went with this fabric. In case you can't tell from the pictures, the blue fabric has little fish on it.....too cute!

I wanted to use the camper fabric on a girls dress because I think the logical choice would be for a boy, but I actually love the way this works for a girl. It's kind of a boutique, boho vibe (or at least that's what I was going for).

And then again, I decided to use this otherwise 'boy' fabric for a girl twirl dress. This is my Charlotte Apron Dress pattern without the apron. The skirt was shortened and I added a ruffle around the bottom. The light blue and cream fabric looks like tree bark......it's really neat. I also embellished the bodice with some vintage crochet trim, lace and buttons. This fabric line is called 'Camp Modern'.

I can't wait to visit the Birch Fabrics booth at Quilt Market in Houston, TX. It will never get old seeing my pieces on display. It is such a honor to work with some of these great fabric manufacturers and I still can't believe they ask 'little ole me' to create pieces for them.

By the way........is anyone else planning on attending International Quilt Market at the end of the month? 

It is a trade show and not open to the general public, but if you plan to be there, let me know. And if you see a mom (Grandma Jane) and daughter (me) duo walking around the convention center with their 'The Cottage Mama' bags, stop us and say hello......we would love to meet you!

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Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway at Fat Quarter Shop

Today, over at Fat Quarter Shop, I'm talking a little bit about my Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle that I hand selected for their shop. 

I also answered a few questions for them. If you can guess my answers, then you will be entered to win your very own one of my Blogger's Choice Bundles.

I have to admit, this bundle is even more gorgeous in person (if I do say so myself)!

To enter the giveaway, you must do so over at Fat Quarter Shop. 

Click HERE to enter and read more about this custom bundle.

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Out to Sea ~ Nautical Girls Dress

I am a big fan of Sarah from Sarah Jane Studios and I knew her second fabric line 'Out to Sea' was going to be a must-have.  I think you all know how I felt about her first line, 'Children at Play' ~ L.O.V.E.  I ordered 'Out to Sea' back in May at Quilt Market in Kansas City.  Let me tell you, it was really hard to decide which prints to order, but I'm so happy with the ones we picked!

These are the prints that arrived this past Tuesday.  There is a boy, pirate one too, but we'll save that for another time.  I have some ideas for what I want to do with the map, but I am in love with these colors. First of all, the navy blue and pink is a timeless combination and secondly, it was so lovely to see nautical prints in more girly colors.

I have a million and one other things that need to be sewn, but I could not control myself.  I had to cut into this fabric right away.  You know that feeling, right?  So, here's what I created.......

This is my Charlotte Apron Dress Pattern made with a few additional pieces.  My husband didn't even know this was the same pattern, but really, the adjustments were very simple.

I added two scallop pieces to the top of the bodice.  I simply traced a curve that I thought looked good and placed them in from each side 1.5" (before the bodice was sewn together).  I basted them in place and then constructed the bodice according to my pattern instructions.  I also topstitched all the way around the top of the bodice which helped the scallops stay down.

Where are the buttons, you might ask?  They are underneath the scallop pieces.  You just flip them up, make your buttonholes and flip the scallops back down.  I used smaller, flat buttons so they don't even show.

For the sash, I cut two pieces on the fold (5" x 20") and sewed them together at the short seam to make one long strip.  I folded the long strip in half with the right sides together, cut both ends at a diagonal and sewed the raw edge together using a 1/2" seam allowance.  I left a 4" opening in the sash for turning right side out.  Once I turned it right side out, I pressed the sash and slip-stitched the opening closed.  You could also topstitch the entire sash to close the opening.  I sewed the sash to the dress at the side seams and made it off-set so it would tie off to one side.  You could definitely have the sash tie in the back as well.

As far as the skirt goes, I shortened it by two inches to account for the gathered eyelet trim at the bottom.  I decided to use a rolled hem on the bottom edge of the fabric for the skirt (just because I'm really enjoying this stitch on my new serger and I knew it wouldn't show) and then layered the trim on top.

I purchased this nautical trim wholesale at the same time we ordered this fabric line.  I knew it was going to be perfect and I think it really works well.  The rickrack is layered underneath the woven ribbon and brings the pink down into the bottom of the dress.

I am so happy with how this dress turned out.  I was going to have Matilda model this one, but the mosquitos have been out in full-force, so the mannequin will have to do for now.  If I get some pictures of the little miss wearing this dress, I will definitely share the pictures.

A big thank you to Sarah Jane for creating such wonderfully inspiring fabric.  Without her beautiful illustrations and her ability to capture such whimsy and charm through her art, this dress never would have been created.  Thanks, Sarah!

You can purchase 'Out to Sea' by Sarah Jane Studios for Michael Miller Fabrics at many of the sponsors listed in the right sidebar of the blog.  I believe the first shipment has arrived in most shops.

You can also purchase the Charlotte Apron Dress Pattern HERE.

Lastly, I am considering offering these fabrics and trims as a kit in my Etsy shop.  Is that something of interest to you all?  I've gone back and forth with whether or not people would like me selecting the fabrics and trims for you or not.  It's just an idea.....but I'd love to know what you think!

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