Happy Easter

Happy Easter to you!

I couldn't resist making a couple of Easter baskets for my boys.  

My youngest has expressed doubts in the existence of the Easter Bunny : (  

 I was so happy when he came downstairs this morning and told me he got a visit from the Easter Bunny!

The basket is a tutorial from Birch Fabrics and you can find it [HERE] 

The instructions are clear and concise with lots of photos.

 I will be making more of these to use as storage around the house.

The basket pictured is the large version with the height shortened to 5".

The outside of the basket is Essex Yarn Dye linen and the bunny fabric trim is an older print from the Cotton and Steel line from RJR fabrics.

Have a lovely day!

xo

Charise

Splendid Sampler ~ Crocheted Thoughts & Checker Board

Happy Spring to you!

It still feels like Winter here in Seattle, Washington in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, but at least my Splendid Sampler blocks are made with Spring colored fabrics.

You can find all the details and FREE patterns at TheSplendidSampler.com

Crocheted Thoughts was a joy to make!  You can find more about the block and it's designer Alyssa Thompson [HERE] 

It was my "relax while watching the T. V. and stitch" project for several evenings : )

The sweet bow and cherry print is Yuwa Fabric "Bows and Cherries" by Atsuko Matsuyama.

The background fabric is my favorite "go to" cream cotton background - RJR Supreme Solids in color French Vanilla.

I transferred the design by tracing the design onto my fabric with a water soluble marker.

I'm pleased with the end result.

Today's Splendid Sampler block is Checker Board by Pat Sloan.  I adore this block.  The first one was made with blue fabric scraps.
  

I couldn't resist making a second block with some pink, red and yellow scraps.

Having an entire quilt with these tiny squares would be divine : )

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

The Splendid Sampler ~ Local Quilt Shop & Iowa

Today I am sharing my versions of the latest two blocks in the Splendid Sampler Sew Along - Local Quilt Shop & Iowa.

I am a big fan of the technique of paper piecing so I was very happy that Jane provided a paper piecing template for her design, "Local Quilt Shop".  House blocks are some of my favorite.  I have made many for friends in the Cocorico Bee.  You can find a few [HERE] and [HERE].

Iowa, designed by Sherri McConnell, is an adorable block.  I chose to make it scrappy in pinks and reds.  The corner background fabric is from one of my favorite vintage feed sacks.

The center fabric is a prized Japanese fabric I have had for years.

Be sure to head on over to TheSplendidSampler.com to get the patterns!

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

The Farmer's Wife 1930's Quilt Along ~ Lily

Happy Monday!  Today is my day on the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along hosted by Kerry at Very Kerry Berry.

My apologies for this late post!  Even though Spring is only about a week away, we have been experiencing some extreme weather here in the Pacific NW region of the U.S.!  

I had plans to spend Sunday sewing my Farmer's Wife block, but a wind storm and power outage thwarted my plans.  The power was back on late into the morning so thankfully I was able to make the block, Lily, this morning!

This block was a fun one to make! I raided my stash for some favorite fabrics. 

Fabrics from Left to Right:

Dot - Kindred Spirits by Bunny Hill Designs for Moda, Pink Floral - Vintage Happy by Lori Holt for Riley Blake, Pink Ballerinas - Minny Muu by koko seki for Lecien, Flower Pot - Lori Holt for Riley Blake, Green Floral -  Lighthearted designed by Pink Penguin for Kokka fabrics, Green Text - Lighthearted designed by Pink Penguin for Kokka fabrics

This is such a fun ongoing project.  I Love the way this quilt is growing!  

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

The Splendid Sampler ~ Friends around the Square

Sewing along with the Splendid Sampler has been such a fun journey.  

I often spend my days designing my own patterns so sewing up someone else's pattern is always a welcome treat.

As with the Farmer's Wife 1930's Quilt Along, I spend lots of time picking out the perfect fabric.

For the new Splendid Sampler block, "Friends Around the Square" designed by Julie Karasek of Patched Works, I decided to take the title quite literally. 

Fabric for my "friends" are Paris Fashion Ads by Suzuko Koseki fabric from Yuwa.  The daisy fabric is "Dear Marguerite Daisy" floral fabric also designed by Suzuko Koseki.  You can find the Fashion Ads fabric [HERE] 

The print comes is four different color ways.

You can find the Dear Marguerite fabric [HERE] 

The yellow surrounding  border print is a Denyse Schmidt fabric designed for Joann Fabrics ~ DS Quilts for fabric tradition from 2011.

Be sure to head on over to TheSplendidSampler.com for a copy of the pattern!

 I think blocks 1-8 (plus the bonus block) are living happily together : )

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

The Splendid Sampler ~ Snug as a Bug

I am back again to share the latest block in  The Splendid Sampler Sew Along.

"Snug as a Bug" by Amy Sinabaldi.

This was such a fun block to make.  Since I am one of the designers, I have access to the blocks before they are released.  I have been making the hand sewn blocks, so I have a fun project to stitch in the evening.  It is my favorite thing to do while winding down at the end of the day.

The original design is completely embroidered, but one of the Splendid designers, Katja Marek, made the little quilt out of fabric.  I was completely inspired by her fabulous block and did the same!

The block is tiny, 6", and the individual quilt squares are about 3/4"!   It was well worth it.

I have really been enjoying this sew along.  

I find that I am trying new techniques, like appliqué, and loving it!

Be sure to head over to the Splendid Sampler website for a copy of the pattern.

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

The Splendid Sampler ~ Focal Point & Simple Simon

Happy Thursday!

Today I am happy to share the latest two blocks in The Splendid Sampler Sew Along.

This block feels like Spring to me and I am ready for Spring : )

The block is called "Focal Point" and is designed by Natalia Bonner.

Head on over to the Splendid Sampler for the pattern.

I used one of my favorite fabrics for this block.  The text print is from Kumiko Fujita and has been out of print for years.

Fabrics from Left to Right:

Yellow Floral ~ 30's collection by Atsuko Matsuyama for YUWA

Aqua Apples ~ One Room Schoolhouse by Brenda Ratliff for RJR Fabrics (In stores July 2016)

Yellow Text Print ~ Designed by Kumiko Fujita (out of print)

Aqua Dot ~ Moda Essential Dots Teal on white

Simple Simon is a lovely block designed by Celine Perkins.
She has a fabulous tutorial on her blog with tips for making this block.

Fabrics used:
Pink /red print ~ Lori Holt for Riley Blake "Vintage Happy", Yellow floral ~ Older print from Connecting Threads "Hope Chest", Yellow Sewing Machine text print ~ Suzuko Koseki (superbuzzy.com has a good selection of her prints)

I have been playing around on Adobe Illustrator and came up with this plan for the quilt!
It will be adjusted for 100 blocks, but I wanted to share it smaller so you could see the detail.

Happy Sewing
xo
Charise