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!

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.

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!

Lindsay Wilkes' Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle: Now Available!

It has arrived!  My Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle is now available for purchase at the Fat Quarter Shop.  I blogged about this several months back when I was selected to customize a bundle for the month of September.  I'm still incredibly flattered that they asked me.......I am definitely in good company with some of the amazingly talented women who have put together bundles for them recently.

The bundle I selected is $45 and it includes a fat quarter of each of the prints and solids pictured above (which is a total of 15 fat quarters).  There is a little bit of everything in this bundle.  And I really think it shouts Fall!  What prints and solids are included?

Here is the list from Fat Quarter Shop.......

Bundle includes:

• Chicopee - PWDS31-REDXX
• Cameo - PWAB99-CARMI
• The Birds and the Bees - PWTP024-SUGAR
• Chicopee - PWDS27-LIMEX
• Chicopee - PWDS27-REDXX
• Cameo - PWAB98-SCARL
• Lilly Belle - LB-1104
• Seaside - C2966-BLUE
• The Birds and the Bees - PWTP26-SUNSE
• Indie - IN-5106
• Lark - PWAB75-JADEX
• Cameo - PWAB94-INKXX
• Pure Elements - PE-427
• Pure Elements - PE-417
• Kona - K001-346

So, again, I just wanted to let you know that the bundle was now available for purchase since all of the prints have arrived.  I don't make any money from the purchase of these bundles, but they are sending me my very own bundle to play around with ~ yay!

Let me know if you have any questions!  

Lindsay Wilkes' Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle can be purchased by clicking HERE.

Souther Fabric Giveaway: Fat Quarter Bundle

We want to give a big giant welcome to our new sponsor Aubrey Marshall from Southern Fabric (Southernfabric.com)!

I've been looking forward to introducing Southern Fabric to you all for awhile.......I know you are going to love their style and selection!  Aubrey has been in business for over 7 years and has sold over 75 thousand items to happy customers worldwide.  Feel free to browse her shop and add her to your favorites. Southern Fabric is constantly adding new Moda, Free Spirit, Westminster and Riley Blake.

Check out some of my personal favorites from Southern Fabric:

 

Oh Deer by MoMo

Check out this GORGEOUS quilt made from 'Oh Deer'.

Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket

Aviary 2 Lilac by Joel Dewberry Half Yard Bundle

Cocoon Jelly Roll by Valori Wells

And now onto the........

GIVEAWAY

Today Southern Fabric is giving away a 

Fat Quarter Bundle (11 Fat Quarters) of Dena Designs 'McKenzie'!

Here's how to enter to win:

Like Southern Fabric on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/southernfabric and leave a comment letting us know that you did.  That's it.....pretty easy!

Southern Fabric also has a coupon code for 10% storewide, good until the 16th of August using code:  tenpercent

Giveaway open until Sunday, August 12, 2012 at midnight (CST).

Fabric Organization: Comic Book Boards and File Folders

A frequent question that comes to me via email is regarding my Fabric Organizers.  I have written about them several times on the blog and I absolutely love them.  They are not cheap and it's hard to stomach the investment sometimes when really all it is, is a piece of plastic board that you are wrapping your fabric around.  I totally get that.  So how about a few other options?

I wanted to share an idea with you that someone shared with me about two years ago in a fabric group that I belonged to (yes, there are groups for fabric obsessed people like myself).  If you are looking for a more inexpensive, economical way to organize your fabric, try ordering a set of Archival Comic Book Boards.  Now I don't organize my fabric this way because I'm hooked on my other organizers, but here's what they look like:

They come in many different sizes and generally come in packs of 100 for less than $20.  Now they aren't going to be as sturdy as some of the fabric organizers that are made of plastic, but they will do the trick getting your fabric looking neat and tidy.  And if you have a lot of smaller cuts of lots of different prints, these comic book boards will save you a lot of money.  Personally, I wouldn't recommend them for keeping large cuts (5 yards +) organized as they can look a little sloppy with huge amounts of fabric.  But for 4 yards or less, these will be great! 

You may have already heard about this before as I know a lot of people store their fabric this way, but just in case you hadn't, I thought I would pass along the information to you.  I found a whole bunch over on Amazon if you want to check them out.

Here are some other folks that have used these comic book boards to organize their gorgeous fabric:

 Jibberish Designs

 by J. Irelle Beatie

That Girl.......That Quilt

by Jennifer Jenkinson

(she has a tutorial on using the boards as well....found here)

Another great idea I found while browsing around the blogging world, was using file folders to file away your fabric.  Pretty neat, right?

Karen from Sew Many Ways

(here is her tutorial for using this technique)

Here is another fun 'filing' technique which is kind of a combination of comic book boards and a file box.  I think this looks great and would be perfect if you don't have shelves or are storing fabric under a bed.  I couldn't seem to locate the source for this picture, but it is a beautiful box of fabric.

If you are looking for a plastic organizer, I have recently been informed that there is another option on the market in addition to the ones that I use from Polar Notions:

 Polar Notions Organizers

(Check out more information HERE)

There is nothing better than having a nice, beautiful organized stash of fabric.  I hope these pictures give you some ideas for alternative ways to organize all your pretties.  Just looking at a pretty fabric stash makes me happy (this coming from an admitted serious fabric addict).

Happy Fabric Organizing!

The Cottage Mama Custom Fat Quarter Bundle ~ Blogger's Choice

I just wanted to share something kind of cool with you.  I was recently selected by Fat Quarter Shop to put together a 'Blogger's Choice' Fat Quarter Bundle for them for the month of September.  I was supposed to choose 12 prints and 3 solids from any fabric lines to create a custom bundle that will be sold in their shop.  Talk about a tough decision narrowing it down from all the gorgeous prints that are available. There were tons of different directions I could have gone.

Want to see my bundle?

Custom Fat Quarter Bundle by Lindsay Wilkes from The Cottage Mama

for Fat Quarter Shop

Do you like it?  I hope so!  I went with some deeper tones since this bundle will be available in September.  There are several different lines included, most of which have yet to be released. Some Amy Butler, Tula Pink, Denyse Schmidt, Art Gallery Fabrics, Riley Blake....lots of my favorites.  Pairing fabrics is one of my absolute favorite things about the design process so be able to put this bundle together was a complete joy.

I will let you know when all the fabrics are in-stock and the bundle is available for sale or you can sign up on the Fat Quarter Shop website to be notified when it is ready. They will be sending me my own bundle that I picked out.  I'm thinking I need to do a quilt out of this selection.  

What do you think?  What would you make with this bundle?

Click HERE to check out the exact fabrics included in the bundle and click HERE to see all the 'Blogger's Choice' Bundles.  I'm in some very good company.

Sample Spree and Lots of Fun Goodies

I know I said that you couldn't really purchase individual yards of fabric, trim, ect. at International Quilt Market, but there is one event that is held before market opens where you can and it's called Sample Spree.  Again, this event isn't open to the public, but it's about the only chance that one has to purchase lines of fabric that have yet to be released and may not be released for up to five more months.  It happens around 8:00PM the night before market and goes until 10:00PM.  Not every fabric manufacturer participates, but a lot of them do.  There is a lot of fabric as well as trims, patterns, notions, ect. that can all be purchased at wholesale cost (without the huge minimums that generally come with ordering wholesale). 

Sample spree is nuts!!  Seriously.  Imagine all the chaos that goes along with the running of the bulls, but instead you have hundreds of ladies obsessed with fabric all running to grab the new lines.  And once it's gone, it's gone, so I'm sure you can imagine the madness.  Mom and I signed up for Sample Spree last spring which was our first time, but we skipped it this past fall, so we thought it would be fun to do it again.  Luckily for us, there are no fabric lines we just MUST have, so we are much more relaxed about the whole event.  Some people would not find sample spree fun at all.  Certainly if you don't like crowds, you would not like this event.  But we like the excitement and hub-bub of it all, yes, we are the type that actually like shopping the day after Thanksgiving.

People start lining up for Sample Spree up to four-five hours before they even open the doors.  Mom and I arrived about 45 minutes before it started and this (picture above) was what the line looked like and we ended up pretty much in the middle.  It seems kind of nutty to wait in line that early since once the doors opened we were all in there in about 5 minutes, but to each his own.

So here are some of the things we brought home from sample spree and some freebies from different people at market..........

I firmly believe that you can never have too much rickrack, especially in pretty colors such as these!

I picked up pretty much the whole collection of 'Rhapsodia' by Art Gallery Fabrics (which has already been released).  These are all 1 yard cuts and I am in love with this line.  Feminine and girly, yet still modern.  And if you've never felt Art Gallery Fabrics, you are definitely missing out.  They are dreamy and wash better than any of my other quilting cotton.  Perfect for garments!

And while we were at the Art Gallery Fabrics table, I picked up one more bundle of fabric that I might love even more than 'Rhapsodia'......this one is called 'LillyBelle' by Bari J. for Art Gallery Fabrics.  This line will be released in June which is just around the corner.  This is only half of the collection as the other half was already sold out by the time we made our way to this stop at sample spree.

I have been waiting for this line from Riley Blake Designs to come out for about 6 months now.  It's called 'Seaside' and it is just perfect.  Yes, Riley Blake Designs sends me fabric for all my design team projects but I wanted to have all of these fat quarters of each print so I picked up this fat quarter bundle at sample spree.  I'm seeing a quilt here with this set.  Although, I may have to get some yardage as well because a few of these prints are begging to be made into children's clothing.

I don't have very much seasonal fabric in my stash, so I picked up this fun Christmas collection from Anna Griffin.  I like that it incorporates some pink and blue into the traditional red and green color scheme.

Here is a little freebie from the folks at Windham Fabrics.  This is Lotta Jansdotter's new line 'Bella'.

 

Some free, super-cute 2.5 inch pre-cut squares.

I picked up a Kona Cotton Color Card that they were giving out for free.  It's a great thing to have because it gives you an actual swatch of each solid fabric that is much easier to coordinate than just looking on your computer.  This card is also great when you are trying to pair a solid with a patterned fabric.

This was a cute bundle of embroidery patterns that I picked up.  I have been embroidering a lot lately and I am really enjoying it.  I may have a little embroidery up my sleeve coming out soon, so these sweet little designs really caught my eye.

Here are some pictures I took in our hotel room with some of mom's fabric too.......

And that's a wrap.  We had so much fun picking up these goodies at quilt market.  It's so nice that Mom and I both love sewing and fabric and can bond over fun experiences like quilt market. 

I think we both have A LOT of sewing ahead of us with all this gorgeous fabric!