home decor and garden are very famous in the world

I've had some things I wanted to share with you guys for awhile, but just haven't had a chance to get them up here on the blog.  So I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you all...........




I was so thrilled when Kathy Barnard (Editor, Sew Beautiful) contacted me asking if I would be interested in them doing a pictorial featuring my sewing patterns.  Of course I said yes!   I sewed this collection of clothing almost a year ago for this pictorial using my sewing patterns.


I primarily used the fabric line from Sarah Jane Studios 'Children at Play' for most of the garments.  But did include a little Anna Griffin and Heather Bailey in there as well.


Aren't those boys just darling?  Both the shirt and vest pattern / tutorials (free) will be making an appearance on the blog soon so be on the look out for those.


I did not take any of these pictures.  I sent the entire collection of garments to Sew Beautiful and they used their own photographer to should the pictorial.  I love the shots they got of all the kids wearing these garments.  So perfect!


 
It is truly an honor to be featured in Sew Beautiful Magazine.  So many pattern designers that I admire have been featured in the pages of this publication over the years, so I am really flattered to be included in such good company.

If you have never picked up an issue of Sew Beautiful, it is a magazine dedicated to heirloom sewing.  Most of the articles are geared towards children's clothing, but there are a few adult pieces and accessories  here and there.  While the magazine is still incredibly traditional and classic, they are starting to feature some more modern fabrics and sewing.


Another recent publication feature was in the Summer 2012 issue of 'Where Women Create' magazine. The Cottage Home Blog was named one of the Top 25 Inspirational and Educational Blogs.  Pretty neat.  My mother-in-law introduced me to this magazine several years ago and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw my blog mentioned in this beautiful, inspiring publication!


It was my birthday a couple weeks ago and my mom made me this adorable notebook cover.  I always like to have notebooks around so I can jot down my ideas, draw pictures of new designs that pop into my head, make do-to lists, ect.  Right now I've got about three different notebooks scattered around to make sure I have a place to get my thoughts out on paper.




I love this notebook cover because when I fill up the notebook, I can simply slide the cover off and put in a new one.

Well, I have finally returned to the sewing machine after six long weeks away and it feels good.....really good.  It's going to take me a little while to get my groove back, but I've got Halloween costumes in the works as well as a few other things that I can't wait to share with you all.

Meanwhile, I received copies of two recent print publications featuring The Cottage Mama - the premier issue of Stitch. Craft. Create. and the winter issue of Altered Couture.  I know I've said this before, and I will say it again, I never ever get tired of seeing something of mine in print.  It is so thrilling and I feel so blessed for these amazing opportunities!


This first publication is a brand new one that I know you'll want to check out.  It's called Stitch. Craft. Create. and comes from the publishers of Sew Beautiful magazine.  This publication is loaded, and I mean loaded, with amazing holiday craft and sewing projects.  I absolutely love the fact that they are light on the advertisements and heavy on the actual content. 


My Tile Coaster Tutorial was featured in their "60 Quick & Creative Gift Ideas".  The folks at the magazine made up their own version of my tutorial and I think they look great. 


This truly is a wonderful and easy holiday gift - I gave several sets of these last year for Christmas.  You can tailor the look to the gift recipients style and they are very inexpensive to make.  If you make these in an assembly line style, you can really knock out quite a few sets all at one time.

The premiere issue of Stitch. Craft. Create. is now available on newsstands.  You should be able to find it at your local Barnes & Noble, craft stores, and sewing shops.  It is a mid-priced publication but is definitely more like a book.  It will be a magazine that you will use and reference for years to come.



The second publication is one you've seen on the blog before.  It's my third time being featured in Altered Couture magazine!  I just received my copy yesterday and this time they chose to feature my "Winter Wonderland" dress that I created last year for the children's clothing competition, Project Run & Play. 


To be honest this is probably one of my most favorite creations I've ever done because of the way it evolved.  I really did not want to go out and buy any new materials (since I had tons to use up) and just tried to get creative with what I had.  I think some of the best creative moments come out of necessity.



The people at Altered Couture are just lovely to work with and I adore looking through the magazine and seeing all the creativity that is out there in the world.  I've also noticed that there are several other bloggers featured in the current issue.  It's so fun to be in such good company!

This piece of paper arrived with my copy of the magazine and I think it's definitely something I'll have to save for my scrapbook.  There's really nothing like seeing your writing and creative work in print!

So here are my two pieces that can be found in the summer issue.  The pictures were taken by the magazine after I sent them my pieces, but both articles were written by me:




This was one of my first "altered" pieces I had done on the blog.  I took a women's turtleneck sweater that I had found at my local thrift store and turned it into a ruffle cardigan for Savannah Rose.



The ruffle cardigan has a lot of fun details such as fabric covered buttons, piping, trims, and of course, a giant ruffle.



My second piece featured in the summer issue is a dress that I made using a woman's skirt.  I fell in love with the fabric on this skirt that was found by my mom at Goodwill, but it was way to large for me, so it became a dress for my girls.


Again, my favorite part of this look is the layered yo-yo and fabric covered button detail on the front of the dress.  I'm a little nuts over yo-yo's!

What ended up being even more special about this magazine publication was that, not only were my two pieces featured, but my Aunt Sarah had one of her pieces featured as well!  Here is her piece......