Happy 1st Birthday Caspian Finn

Dear Caspian,

Today you are 1 year old.  I can't believe it!  Your first year flew by at warp speed.  It seems like only yesterday you came into our lives, but yet I can't imagine our life without you.

1 Year Old

Pictures taken by Mama on August 31, 2012

Caspian, on your 1st birthday today there are a few things I would like to remember about you......

1. Your favorite food is bananas.
2. You are so sweet. And I mean SO sweet.
3. You army crawl everywhere.
4. You say 'Dada' and 'Mama'.
5. You have just learned how to shake your head 'no'.
6. Your sisters love you and tell you that there is 'No better baby than Caspian'.
7. Your giggle is just about the best sound I have ever heard.
8. You love to smile.  Your Gigi and Grumpy call you 'Smiley Joe'.
9. You are so happy.
10. You are a dream baby.  So even tempered and delightful.
11. You like feet and shoes.
12. You have the most adorable chubby thighs.
13. You like to eat. A lot.
14. You like when mama sings to you especially 'Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man of Mine' from Show Boat.
15. You like to dance.
16. You love water and going swimming.
17. You like cars.
18. You love your mama, but as of lately you REALLY love your daddy.
19. You are very 'go with the flow'. {Thank you for that!}.
20. You bring such a completeness, joy and happiness to our family.

Before you were born, many of my friends told me that there was something different about the relationship between and mother and a son.  I never really thought there was much to that, until I had you.  I absolutely love my girls, but our relationship is just different.  I can't put my finger on it, but all I know is that you are my sweet little boy and I can't imagine you any other way.  What a light you have brought into our lives.  Thank you for being such a joyful, wonderful, lovable child.

Happy 1st Birthday!

I love you from here to the moon and back again my sweet, sweet Caspian Finn.

Love,

Mama

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Another 'Out to Sea' Dress and a Little Sailor

We spent this past weekend up in Lake Geneva, WI celebrating Caspian's 1st birthday and my father-in-law's 60th birthday.  Knowing that we were going to be up to the lake, I couldn't resist making another dress from Sarah Jane Studio's new 'Out to Sea' fabric line.  It just had to be done!

Here are the girls wearing the two dresses that I made for them.  I shared Matilda's dress in a previous post (which is made from my Charlotte Apron Dress Pattern), but I made a different style dress for Miss Savannah.

This dress is a basic peasant style dress with a flutter sleeve and a double layer ruffle down the front.  If you've never sewn a peasant dress, you should definitely give it a try.  It's probably one of the easiest garments to sew because the fit is very forgiving and it will take you no time at all to whip up.  Definitely great for a beginner!

I decided I wanted to add in some seersucker with the 'Out to Sea' line because nothing says nautical summer more than seersucker.  I had this pink and white stripe in my stash and used it as an accent for the ruffle and sleeve.

I did a double layer flutter sleeve with the pink anchor fabric on top and the pink and white seersucker underneath.  I did a rolled edge on my serger to keep the sleeves as light and 'fluttery' as possible.

I'm really happy with the way this dress turned out and Savannah seems to like it too!  I adore the rich navy blue and pretty pink. Such a classic, timeless combination.

How grown up is she looking?  Four going on sixteen........gosh, I sure love that sweetheart.

So with all these nautical dresses, I couldn't help but let Caspian join in the fun with a cute little sailor suit.

Here is my husband, Brett, and Caspian Finn.  I think Caspian looks so much like his daddy!

Caspian's sisters sure love him.....poor guy.  You can just see the look on his face, 'please stop smothering me!'

Here is Daddy and his boy.

I did sell some kits to make the dress that Matilda is wearing that I listed in my Etsy shop. It included all the fabric, trims, buttons as well as the printed sewing pattern to create the exact same dress in up to size 8.  I shared the kits over on the Facebook page first and they sold out very quickly.  I don't plan to offer anymore of this exact same kit, but if you are interested in future dress kits, please join us over on The Cottage Mama Fan Page on Facebook.

Have a great day!

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A Week of Many Firsts.......1st Day of Preschool

So this is a busy week around here.  The girls had their first day of preschool on Monday and their first day of tap and ballet class on Tuesday and we have our little man's first birthday coming up on Friday.  Whew.......that's a lot of firsts all in one week!

It's hard to believe that both my little ladies are in preschool this year.  This is Matilda's first year and she is in the three year old class and this is Savannah's second year and she is in the four year old class. It works out really nicely because both girls go on the same days which allows me a little alone time with my little guy.

Miss Matilda was so excited for her first day........

Savannah was excited to see her friends again and show Matilda the ropes.......

Savannah is really into purple lately.  Can you tell?  She picked out her own outfit.

These silly sisters truly love each other.  As much as they know how to push each others buttons, they really adore one another......

The first day of school was just an hour and the parents attended with their student.

Savannah loved showing her sister exactly what to do and where to go.  The girls are in different classes, so my husband took the day off and went with Savannah and I went with Matilda.

Here are some pictures of Matilda's first day in her class.......

The girls had a great time on their first day!  Today was actually the second day and they both went for a shorter day without the parents.  Both girls were absolutely fine........they barely even looked back at mama (which was quite different than Savannah's first day last year.......oh, the tears).  My girls are growing up. I am so excited for them and all the fun they are going to have this year!

And this goofy guy.......he and I will be doing a lot more hanging out this year (which I'm really looking forward to).  I seriously cannot believe he will be one year old in a couple days.  

Where did the time go? {Sigh}. I guess they all eventually grow up..........

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Eat Your Fruits and Veggies Half-Square Triangle Quilt Top

I just wanted to write a quick post to share my mom's Eat Your Fruits and Veggies Half-Square Triangle Quilt Top that she completed using half square triangles.  

If you missed her half-square triangle tutorial, you can check it out HERE.

Isn't it gorgeous?  I absolutely adore this quilt top.  I think it is so fresh and modern, yet with a fun 1950's retro feel.  'Eat Your Fruits and Veggies' is by Pat Sloan for Moda Fabrics.  We picked up some of this line at sample spree during Spring Quilt Market.  The yardage has not been released yet, it will be out in October 2012. So once Mom can get her hands on more of this fabric she can finish up this beauty.

Isn't it amazing the beautiful designs you can create with half-square triangles?

I think I'm hooked!

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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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