Work in Progress Wednesday

It is a good thing it is WIP Wednesday since I have not finished a thing this week : )

I designed this crayon block over a year ago.  It was a contribution to a paper piecing book that the publisher decided not to go forward with.

It makes such a cute design for a pencil case.  I've also wanted to do a simple paper piecing tutorial and this is the perfect design since it is only one block!  

The text is a Kumiko Fujita print from long ago.  Other text prints would work perfectly in its place like this one I have been eyeing over at Sew Me a Song.

This is a little project that I am working out the details.  I'm making fabric flowers from some Liberty prints left over from my kaleidoscope pillow project.  I hope to have it done for Mother's Day.

I have completed a few more blocks for the "Pack Patch Mini" quilt along.  Last week's theme was April Showers bring May Flowers. 

My garden in April is incredibly green and pink tulips emerge as the first color in the garden.

In May, my yellow and red roses are just starting to bloom.

I love this time of year!

I am most excited about the progress shown in this picture 

though the picture itself is not that exciting  :)

I have started digitizing my Anna Blouse pattern!!  Woo Hoo!!!

This is a pic of the sleeve that I printed from my computer and taped together.

Share you WIP's over at Freshly Pieced!

xo

Charise

Sunny Seattle Day and a sneak peek!

The weather is lovely here in Seattle this morning with sunshine and lots of wind.  It finally feels like Spring though a bit on the cold side.  Speaking of all things Springy, I have  been working on my Kaleidocope quilt this week. You can find the link to the pattern [here]
I love the way the Liberty fabrics work together and am definitely partial to the pinks, reds and lavenders - such pretty floral colors.  Liberty lawns are such a joy to sew with!

I have also been working on an upcoming project for Sew it All magazine.  Here is a little sneak peek!  The issue is out in December!

I pulled some fabrics for the Pack Patch Mini Sew Along.  Look forward to sewing some blocks together!

What are you working on?

xo

Charise 

Lovely Bits

Lovely package from hensteethart.blogspot.com

~Before I left for London last week I received two beautiful packages~

 The first came from Viv at Hensteeth.  I absolutely adore her designs and have admired them for ages.  When she listed her adorable girl brooches I could resist no longer!  I was completely blown away by the packaging and ~of course~ the sweet little brooch.  

You can find her beautiful blog [here] and her Etsy shop [here].

Sew along goodies from Gertie's 

Kerry posted about a sew along over at Gertie's Blog for better sewing and I couldn't resist joining in.  The sew along is for a lingerie set consisting of undies plus a slip or cami.  

I have sewn everything under the sun except under garments so I'm excited to give it a go! 

She is selling the sets and patterns in her Etsy shop [here].

As a girl who only wears boy short undies for panties and slips under my dresses, I am looking forward to this fun project : )

Pack Patch Mini Quilt Along

Chase over at 1/4" mark is hosting the most lovely little sew along.  

It is a simple sew along where she asks participants to use their scraps to make a simple 12 patch block.  At the end of ten weeks you will make a mini quilt from the blocks.

My absolute favorite part about this sew along are the themes for each block.  

Last week she asked us to make a block with -
~1~ our favorite colors and ~2~ our true colors, or colors we tend to use in our quilting projects.

This week the themes are ~April Showers~ & ~May Flowers~

You can find more information at the Flickr group [here]

Have a lovely day!

Mine will be spent celebrating a special little 7 year old boy's birthday : )

xo

Charise

~Inspiration from Across the Pond~

Cath Kidson ~ Covent Garden ~ London

A few weeks  ago my hubs found out he needed to go to London on business.  I haven't been to London in 10 years (I was pregnant with my son Liam on my last trip) and thought how nice it would be to head across the pond for a little vacation and a much needed dose of inspiration.  Well...... after a bit of quick planning, an agreeable grandfather come kid sitter,  and a ticket purchased just 4 days before my flight, I was on my way!

Carnaby Street London ~ Spring Fashion Inspiration

How I have missed traveling to Europe!  When I worked as a fashion designer I would make the trip twice a year.  The travel would start in London and then on to Paris and usually end in Rome or Florence.  The trips consisted of research or shopping the stores and streets to find the latest fashion trends that were applicable to the clothing line I was designing for.  London was always a quick stop -  so it was nice to have a full week to explore the city.

Inside Liberty of London ~ a heavenly oasis from the busy streets of London 

My first trip, seriously jet lagged, was Liberty of London.  I swear, I could spend days here.  The store is beautiful and is a manageable size so shopping is a truly lovely experience.  London is quite hectic (makes living in Seattle seem like living in the country) so it was a nice diversion from the crazy streets.

Liberty of London

Bolts of beautiful Liberty Fabrics!



I must have spent at least an hour walking up and down the aisle of Liberty fabrics trying to decide on the right one.  They are all so beautiful it was hard to decide!  I didn't purchase fabric on my first trip but came back a few days later and decided on some beauties.

I was attracted to these lovely pinks and purples.....

And have started a Kaleidoscope quilt - the same pattern as my Kaleidoscope pillow you can find here!

I also purchased a few lengths of fabric that will become my short sleeved Anna Blouse.

Of course I couldn't leave London without coming home with a few items from the Cath Kidson shoppe!!

All in all it was a wonderful trip.  Stay tuned for part two!

xo
Charise

My Babies are Home : )

I received my samples from the book "Playful Little Paper Pieced Projects" this week.  It is a nice feeling to have them safe at home: )   They were sent away so long ago, I had forgotten how fresh and cheerful they are!

I think that picking out the fabrics is my favorite part of creating a new project.  This one was particularly fun.  The text print is from Suzuko Koseki and the Floral Print is from Moda's Sweet line.  Both are out of print fabrics.  Check out this blog post for some tips on finding those hard to find fabrics.  The sweet apple zipper pull is from the online shop SuperBuzzy.  They are also a great source for Japanese Suzuko Koseki Fabrics.

This is the second option I submitted for the book for an apple themed project.  It didn't make the cut but I think I'd still like to make the apple tote for myself!!!

The Kite tote will be fun to use this Spring!  I love the way the colors coordinate with my blocks from my Vintage Block Quilt Along!

I used some of my favorite Japanese fabrics including Atsuko Matsuyama prints, Yuwa prints and the kite pinwheels which are from a vintage feed sack.

You can find similar prints on Etsy in these shops: Sew Me a Song, Blije Olifantje, Ayumills and Sew Deerly Loved.

Happy Friday!
xo
Charise

A winner -

It is not often that the second person that enters a contest wins!  But this time it is the #2 comment who wins!

Congratulations Monica Guerra who commented:

"wow! thanks I love the patterns!! my first thing in my sewing list is an ipad case."

I will be contacting you today!