Ellie Inspired Pattern Review AND Giveaway

Today I am reviewing one of my fabulous blog sponsors, Ellie Inspired's, new knit sewing pattern called "Serenade".  I was really excited to give this pattern a try because I have very little time to sew with knits, but I love making knit clothing for my girls for everyday wear.

 Here's what I thought of the "Serenade" sewing pattern..........

This pattern was "fabulous"!  I've only sewn from a couple knit patterns in the past and this one far exceeded my expectations.  Yes, it is a totally adorable look........but my favorite part has to be all the wonderful information that is given about sewing with knits, the different types of knits, what needles to use with knits.  The pattern can be done completely on a sewing machine, but it also gives instructions for using a serger as well.

For some reason sewing with knits brings out my slightly funky side (and I mean slightly).  I'm a classic girl at heart, but there's just something so fun about using knits.  I had several knits in my stash from Patty Young's line for Michael Miller fabrics.  For children's clothing, I love using 100% cotton interlock - I think it has a nice, thick feeling and is very durable.  When I'm sewing for myself, I tend to gravitate towards something with a little more stretch, like a jersey knit.

I can't ever stick to a pattern exactly, so I changed up a few things to make it my own.  

Here's my version of the "Serenade" E-Pattern:

So, as you can see, not my typical style, but I think it turned out pretty cute.  My daughter, Savannah, and I found this Gymboree shirt for 50 cents, but it was way to large for her little size 4T body.  I used the pattern and cut the shirt down to size.  I also made the sleeves long since we will be entering fall here in the windy city.  The dress calls for three tiers of ruffles, but I left the bottom tier off so that she could have cute black leggings poking out underneath.

I also added a ribbon around the waist for fun.  I like how the black and white polka dots tie in with the shirt.  I wish I could have had my little lady model this one, but she wasn't in the mood and I wasn't in the mood for a battle, so my dress form will have to do.  I am envisioning her black patent leather quilted ballet flats with this as well.  Very fun and chic.

Sewing with knits is so much fun!  If you've never tried it, you must - don't be scared.  With Ellie Inspired's pattern you have nothing to fear.  She gives you all of the instruction and advice you would need to get sewing with knits.

Today Ellie Inspired is giving away TWO patterns to The Cottage Home blog readers.  

Both are her new knit patterns:

Sandpiper E-Pattern

Size 1-5

Serenade E-Pattern

Size 1-5

Both of these patterns are perfect for back-to-school.  Cute and casual!

To enter to win the Ellie Inspired pattern giveaway do one or all of the following (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

1.  Visit Ellie Inspired and let us know what is your favorite pattern.

2.  Become a fan of Ellie Inspired on Facebook and let her know that The Cottage Mama sent you (click HERE to do so).

3.  Follow Ellie Inspired's blog (click HERE to do so).

Giveaway will be open through Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at Midnight (CST).  

Open to US and International readers.

Ellie Inspired is running a back-to-school sale through Midnight tonight - Buy One, Get One Half Off.

Come check out the patterns HERE!

Fat Quarter Shop Fabric Giveaway Winners

I'm so excited to announce the winner(s) of the Fat Quarter Shop "Meadow Friends" jelly roll giveaway.  Did you notice how I said winner(s) plural?  Well, Fat Quarter Shop contacted me this week and said because you guys did such an awesome job at visiting their shop and ordering fabric, that instead of just giving away one jelly roll, they are giving away FOUR!!!

Here are the FOUR lucky winners.........

Congratulations to all four of you!  Each winner will receive a jelly roll of "Meadow Friends" by Deb Strain from Fat Quarter Shop and can choose whether they would like the boy or girl version.  If you were one of the lucky winners, please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information, your boy or girl selection and we will get you your prize as soon as possible!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered and if you didn't get a chance to visit Fat Quarter Shop, make sure to pay them a visit - their shop is like a slice of fabric heaven!

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 more information.

Fat Quarter Shop Giveaway: Meadow Friends Jelly Roll Fabric Giveaway

Have you heard of Fat Quarter Shop?  Of course you have! They are only one of the most awesome fabric shops online with the most amazing collection of precut fabrics around.  Did you know that they are a sponsor of The Cottage Home blog?  Well, they most certainly are and I just wanted to take a moment to share a few things from their shop before we move on to their generous giveaway.

Delilah Fat Quarter Set

Fat Quarter shop sells an amazing array of designer quilting cotton yardage, but they also specialize in "precut" fabrics.  If you aren't familiar with "precuts", here is what they are - they are fabrics that have been cut to a certain size and are generally bundled together in coordinating sets.  For example, charm square packs are 5" x 5" cuts of fabric sold in coordinating packs of 42 (or other number depending on the seller).  These "precut" fabrics make it super-easy to do fun patchwork projects like quilts, table runners, wall hangings, clothing, ect.  There are also several other different types of "precut" fabrics that come in other sizes - jelly rolls, layer cakes, fat quarter bundles, and fat eighth bundles.

 Joel Dewberry Heirloom Fat Quarter Set

The neat thing about Fat Quarter Shop is that they bundle a lot of their own fabrics into "precuts" that are exclusive to their shop.  Some manufacturers will sell fabrics already "precut", but at Fat Quarter Shop you can get these plus a variety of cuts not available elsewhere.

Tula Pink's Parisville Fat Quarter Bundle (on sale)

I am so excited about today's giveaway and I know you guys will be too!  Our lovely blog sponsor, Fat Quarter Shop, is giving away a girl or boy (your choice) jelly roll of Deb Strain's "Meadow Friends" to one lucky The Cottage Home Blog Reader.

I have seen so many fun projects online using jelly rolls lately.  Here are a few projects on my "to do" list (tutorial links underneath)...........

Jelly Roll Floor Pillow

Jelly Roll Tea Towels

Jelly Roll Quilt

Remember the quilt I showed you a few weeks back that I made for my daughter, Savannah's room (blog post here)?  

Well, back in the day (3 years ago) I purchased a jelly roll and fat quarter bundle from Fat Quarter Shop to complete this quilt.  I still have a few scraps left over - fat quarter bundles go along way!

So here's how to enter the "Meadow Friends" jelly roll giveaway.  Two entries allowed per person.  Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  Open to US residents only.

1) Go check out Fat Quarter Shop and tell us what you like (click HERE to do so).

2) Become a fan of Fat Quarter Shop on Facebook (click HERE to do so).

Giveaway will be open until July 29, 2011 at midnight (CST).

If you love designer cotton fabrics, you need to go check out Fat Quarter Shop.  They have an amazing selection to choose from and you can be 100% assured that this is quality, top-of-the-line fabric!

*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 more information.

Winners!

Sorry for the delay in posting these lovely winners, but we have been without power for several days due to some heavy storms.  And I must say, it's been mighty hot for this pregnant mama.  But thankfully, we just got power back this morning - woohoo - I definitely have a new appreciation for electricity!

Without further ado, the winner(s) of the Tie Dye Diva Sewing pattern giveaway are:

And the winner of the "Playdate Sew Along" Design Contest is.............

Natalie from Our Old Southern House

Congratulations to all three winners!  The Tie Dye Diva** winners will each receive a PDF pattern of their choice and Natalie has won a $50.00 gift certificate to Fairytale Frocks and Lollipops!  Please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information and we will make sure to get you your prizes as soon as possible.

**Also Tie Dye Diva is offering The Cottage Home blog readers 15% OFF all patterns for the next 24 hours with the coupon code: COTTAGEMAMA.  So if you weren't one of the lucky winners, hurry on over and snatch up one of her adorable patterns! 

Click HERE to visit Tie Dye Diva Sewing patterns.

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 more information.

Mamarazzi by Stacy Wasmuth {Book Review and Giveaway}

I was recently sent a copy of "Mamarazzi - Every Mom's Guide to Photographing Kids" by Stacy Wasmuth for me to review here on the blog.  How adorable is that little girl on the front cover?  Seriously, I don't know if it gets much cuter than that!

I was so excited to get my hands on this book because, though I love to take pictures of my girls, and I do have a nice camera, I don't exactly know what I'm doing.  I hope that's ok to admit.  Yes, I'm outing myself - My name is Lindsay.  I have a dSLR camera. And I don't know exactly how to use it. 

But with that being said, I have been working really hard to learn more about photography and how to take good pictures, so this book came at the perfect time!  I find so many photography books are way to technical for my liking.  I am a visual learner, so I love pictures and examples and many of the books I've picked up are just filled to the brim with text.  I want to take good pictures of my kids, but I am by no means looking to become a true professional.

Mamarazzi by Stacy Wasmuth was written with a casual, friendly tone and addressed all of the issues I have with photographing children.  She covers a wide-range of topics that will interest many moms who just love, love, love taking pictures of their little ones.

Here is what the table of contents looks like so you can see what all the book entails: 

This book goes into some detail with how to use your dSLR camera but it also has other great photography tips for those that use basic point-and-shoot cameras as well.  I love that the author goes into some detail in regards to photo editing as well because I end up doing a lot of that with the pictures that I take.

She talks about shooting different children of all ages, what to have them wear for photo shoots and how to get those winning smiles out of them without them saying "cheese" (which if you've ever photographed kids before, you know that never looks attractive).

Mamarazzi has some of the best eye candy of any photography book I have ever seen.  The sample photographs are amazing and there are TONS of them.  Besides being very informative, who doesn't love looking at photographs of adorable babies, cute toddlers, beautiful children and happy families?

Here is some additional information from Amazon.com about Mamarazzi by Stacy Wasmuth:

Calling all mamarazzis! Every camera-toting mom will want this guide!

Moms, if you can't seem to take enough great photos of the children in your life, this is the book for you.  Now you can learn how to photograph children with the style, clarity, color, and beauty you see in professional photographs.  This fun guide combines humor with solid know-how to show you how to compose shots, handle cameras from basic compacts to advanced dSLRs, take portraits or candids, create prints that impress, and even work with kids! Packed with beautiful examples and written in a down-to-earth style from one mom to another, this book will help mamarazzis everywhere take better photos.

• Moms are one of the fastest-growing segments of the camera-toting demographic, and the blogosphere has a term for them, mamarazzis
• Mixes information, inspiration, and fun for women who want to take better photographs of the children in their lives
• Explains how to set up a camera and use the controls on basic compacts up to advanced dSLR cameras
• Covers shot composition, determining settings, exposing images correctly, the essentials of printing images, how to process for clear and bright color, and more
• Includes stunning examples of portraits and candids of children

So today, we are giving away one copy of "Mamarazzi - Every Mom's Guide to Photographing Kids" by Stacy Wasmuth to one lucky The Cottage Home blog reader.

Here's how to enter:
Please use a separate comment for each entry (enter all three times or just once....it's up to you).
1. Tell me who you love to photograph or why you need this book.
2. Become an official follower of The Cottage Home blog.
3. Become a fan of The Cottage Mama on Facebook (click HERE to do so).

Giveaway will be open until Friday, July 15, 2011 at midnight (CST).

Sew Along Design Contest Finalists

Thank you to everyone who entered the "Sew Along Design Contest" through The Cottage Home Flickr Group.  There were some very creative entries which made it very hard to choose, but we narrowed it down to the top five.  In no particular order, the finalists are..........

Natalie from Our Old Southern House

 From Mama Reita

Amber Lou from The Paisley Cupcake

From Jessica

From Stiej

Voting is now open in the left side-bar of the blog underneath the "welcome" section.  So vote for your favorite look and the person you want to win the $50 gift certificate to Fairytale Frocks and Lollipops.  Voting will be open until Sunday, July 10, 2011 at midnight (CST).  Good luck to all the finalists!