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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

4 Months

It’s hard to believe that today my favorite little man is 4 months old. My how time flies and my heart grows. Every day I fall deeper in love…

**Photos by Angela Wilson Photography.

When we get to a change of seasons do you open your wardrobe cupboards and sigh ... what to wear? I find that a new dress really brightens me up. The kind people over at Shabby Apple seem to have read our minds, and they want to spoil you, they are offering an amazing giveaway to my readers. So let's see what you could choose from!

I love that the Shabby Apple collections are really fun and fashionable yet easy to wear. Their different cuts mean that everyone can find something to suit them.

Their dresses are feminine and could be dressed up for special occasions or worn simply for those moments when you want to feel good and look fantastic without looking overdone.

They have some fun photo shoots, I'm loving this line called Oh La La , shot in Paris, or the Roamin Holiday collection shown in Rome. I'm longing for a vespa at the moment, so I love these red vespa shots!

Shabby Apple's offer is most generous, the giveaway winner will choose a dress from any collection except for the Green Leaf. To enter is easy, just pop over to their site and come back and tell me which dress you like best.

To get an extra entry share this giveaway on facebook or twitter and come back to tell me. Bonne chance!

The giveaway is open until Friday 7 October - I'll draw a name and tell Shabby Apple which dress the winner would like to receive. The giveaway is open to anyone, but if you live outside the States you'll have to cover postage.

Good luck and happy shopping!

The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns

I am very pleased to announce the release of my first two printed sewing patterns!

Shortcake Reversible Romper and Dress

Janey Jumper

These two patterns have been a labor of love for me and I have been working them for the last four months or so. I've learned a lot along the way in regards to publishing printed patterns and I'm looking forward to working on more in the future.

So without further ado.....here are the first two The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns:

SHORTCAKE REVERSIBLE ROMPER AND DRESS:

Size 6 Month - Size 6

DESCRIPTION:

The Shortcake Reversible Romper and Dress is an adorable, quick-sew essential for your little one’s wardrobe. The perfect coordinating look for sisters! Both garments are fully reversible (two looks in one) and tie at the shoulder. The dress can easily grow with your child by turning it into a top. Take these outfits from summer into fall by layering them with a long-sleeve shirt and pants/tights.

Neither garment includes any buttonholes or zippers, so this pattern is a great introduction to sewing for a beginner and a fun pattern to play around with for a more advanced seamstress.

Shortcake Reversible Romper:

Shortcake Reversible Dress:

The dress is designed to have a lot of swing to it, so it's really a fun piece for little girls to wear. The final picture, with the ruffle front is a variation, is a look that I will eventually be demonstrating on the blog so you will be able to easily add that to your Shortcake Dress!

The Shortcake Reversible Romper and Dress pattern has a color printed front and back cover and includes full-size printed pattern pieces in size 6 month through girls size 6 as well as pictured step-by-step instructions for completing the romper and the dress. All sizes included in each pattern.

JANEY JUMPER:

Size 6 Month - Girls Size 10

DESCRIPTION:

The Janey Jumper is an A-line dress with a back-button, loop closure and is offered in three different design variations. View A has a unique scallop detail down the front in two contrasting fabrics. View B, the ruffle variation, adds a bit of whimsy to the traditional A-line dress. And, View C, the patchwork variation, offers a fun way to use up scraps of fabric or charm squares. Both View B and C give you the opportunity to use beautiful, unique trims.

Neither garment includes any buttonholes or zippers, so this pattern is a great introduction to sewing for a beginner and a fun pattern to play around with for the more advanced seamstress.

Janey Jumper View A and B:

Janey Jumper View A - Scallop Variation:

Janey Jumper View B - Ruffle Front Variation:

Janey Jumper View C - Patchwork Variation:

So, as you can see there are many different design options with the Janey Jumper sewing pattern. The jumper is designed to fall at the knee which is a perfect length for playing and running around. For fall and winter, I would suggest layering this dress with a long-sleeved shirt and leggings or tights. The 6 month size can also be used as the perfect matching little doll dress for a cabbage patch or other baby doll.

The Janey Jumper pattern has a color printed front and back cover and includes printed pattern pieces in size 6 month through girls size 10 as well as pictured step-by-step instructions for completing the three different design variations. All sizes included in each pattern.

Additional Information:

For right now I plan to do printed sewing patterns, but I may venture into a few PDF's on more simple designs further down the line. Both of these patterns have very large pattern pieces and, believe me when I tell you, that you would not want to have to print these on your home computer and tape them together.

I'd like to give a special thanks to my design artist, Natalie Michalski of Moon Cookie Gallery. Natalie designed the front and back cover art as well as several different graphics that are used in the instruction portion of the pattern. We hope to collaborate on some projects in the future to combine her whimsical artwork with The Cottage Mama sewing design. To view more of her original work and to order prints, please visit her website www.mooncookiegallery.com.

To purchase one or both of The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns, please click "add to cart" below. Or you can visit my online shop at www.thecottagemama.com.