Me Made May - Week in Review

 I decided to join Me Made May '15 and it has been such fun. If you are not familiar, the challenge was created by blogger So Zo as a way to wear our hand made creations.  You can read more about it here.

It has been a great way to see what items I am missing in my wardrobe and there are definitely some holes.

The outfit above includes a blouse from New Look 6895 with a beautiful cotton lawn.

The sweater coat is a design for Sew News you can find here.

The purse is a pattern in the works - the Marcia Bag. I love the typewriter fabric from Melody Miller!

Necklace is a Sterling Silver Carnelian Branch necklace.

The blouse above is a free pattern from Martha Stewart.  You can find the pattern and tutorial here.

The "Shopper Purse" is from the lovely gathered purse trio.

We had a couple days of warm weather last week so I dusted off my swing tank!  Pattern is in the queue : )

The Ruffle Clutch was designed for the Liberty Craft Blog.  You can find the pattern and tutorial here.

Happy Sewing!
xo
Charise

How will you wear your Anna Blouse this Spring?

I had an absolute blast coming up with these design boards! They are all Spring themed and will give you a few ideas of how to wear your Anna Blouse.  Many of the  items of clothing  and shoes you probably already have in you closet but I have listed the sources for the items so you do a little shopping if you wish : )  All the Anna's are shown with current and/or fabrics that can be found in fabric shops now.

I love this Retro Feminine Look!  The Cotton + Steel Rayon print is so pretty and Springy in the Anna Blouse and looks so cute with The Lovely Gathered Clutch also in Cotton + Steel!

The Border fabric is Dottie Cousin in Bright Plum.  The "Jacks" fabric is Playroom Linen in Aqua.

I love the ease of denim and this skirt (from Anthropologie) is such a perfect basic to have in your wardrobe.

The shoes (also from Anthropologie) are adorable but this look would also be so cute with ballet flats!  I will wear this look for a few more weeks with black knee high boots since it is still a little chilly in the Pacific Northwest!

The trench from Modcloth is the icing on the cake and the perfect staple for your Spring Wardrobe.

I am always looking for ways to pull my look together for running around town doing errands.

These items combines casual clothing items that get dressed up with cute shoes and a blazer.

The Anna shown here is made with an adorable Cotton Lawn from Girl Charlee Fabrics.

I love the large floral print in the Shopper Purse from the lovely gathered purse trio.  It is extra large for your shopping excursions!

Pair these pretty printed items with a pair of cropped jeans and blazer from your closet or you can find the items pictured from ModCloth.  Add some fun colorful clogs from Lotta from Stockholm to top off the look.

If it is still chilly in your locale, you can switch out the clogs for knee high  or ankle boots - a perfect Winter to Spring transitional outfit.

The 70's are back and I couldn't be happier.  I love wide leg pants and these from Anthropologie are adorable.  I love them paired with this version of the Anna Blouse in a  chevron voile print from Cloud 9 fabrics.

Add some retro cool sandals (these are from Korkease) and a trend setting fringe bag.  A piece of modern jewelry tops off this cool look.

xo
Charise

Lovely Gathered Clutch in Suede ~ Work in Progress Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  

I recently make my Lovely Gathered Clutch with Suede Trim and just love it.

The fabric on the left is from Cotton + Steel - Tokyo Train ride.  

The suede I have had in my stash for ages.  It is leftover  from my Fashion Design Days when I was designing suede jackets : )

I thought it would be fun to make a clutch entirely in Suede! 

I changed the gathers to pleats and I will share the "how to" in another post : )

Through trial and error, I have come up with some tips and tricks that make it possible to have professional results sewing Suede and Leather on your home machine.

Look for a post where I share my tips for sewing on Suede and Leather.

I also could not resist starting another clutch in my new favorite print from Melody Miller's "Playful Line" for Cotton + Steel Fabrics.  It is a wonderful collage print and I'm looking forward to making more purses with it!

The pink border fabric is also from Cotton + Steel.

This is such a fun pattern and easy to sew up!

It is so nice to sew with "Springy" fabrics in the middle of Winter!  I hope to finish it before I have to pick up the kids this afternoon : )  

(It did not happen - maybe tonight!)

Be sure to head on over to Freshly Pieced to see the other wonderful "WIP Wednesday" projects!

xo

Charise

Sew Mama Sew Give~Away Day!

Hello and Happy Monday.  

 I'm very excited to be a part of Sew Mama Sew's Give~Away day.
If you haven't visited my blog before, I am a designer who loves to create sewing patterns and write for sewing magazines and books.  I also love to share free sewing patterns and tutorials.

I designed a new purse pattern - The Lovely Gathered Purse Trio.
I'm giving away a copy of the pattern + a kit to make the clutch you see pictured!
This pattern is an easy make for a last minute Christmas gift!

The clutch has a metallic silver zipper and silver clasp and D-Ring.  The fabrics included in the kit are Essex Linen from Robert Kaufmann and a cotton/linen print by Annika Wester for Kokka.

The pattern includes three different sizes.

The Shopper is the largest at a very generous 16" x 14 1/2".
I absolutely love this size.  If you like big purses this is the size for you!

The "Around Town" is a perfect 13" x 11"
Not too big and not too small.

The clutch is compact but roomy enough for all your essentials when you want to carry a smaller bag.

Each purse a has zipper closure on the top and
the inside has a zipper lining pocket.

I have some more fabrics picked out for this bag.  I can't wait to make some more versions!

The pattern is a PDF download that includes the pattern for all three sizes plus 11 pages of easy to follow instructions and illustrations!

Now for the Give~Away!
Please leave a comment below by December 12 at 5 p.m. PST.  below and I will pick a winner.
Give away is open to all commenters!

Good Luck!
xo
Charise

Sunday Stash ~ On Monday : )

Fabrics Left to Right, Top to Bottom
1) Essex Steel Yarn Dye linen and Annika Wester for Kokka Fabric, 2) C+ S Fabrics: XOXO and Mustang Arrows
3) Cotton + Steel Fabrics: Rose Border and Netorious 4) Gold Daiwabo Dot and Cotton and Steel Metallic Netorious Fabric 

 I hope you are enjoyed your Sunday!  All my boys (The big one too) headed  to the in-laws to watch the Seahawks game so I was home alone sewing!  Happy Day : ) 

The swatches above are for a new pattern I'm working on - The Lovely Gathered Purse Trio.  There will be a clutch, small bag and large bag or what I'm calling a shopper size.  The project is easy to sew and makes great gifts.  Stay tuned for finished project images!

I posted this photo on Instagram and there was a lot of love for the zippers - aren't they perfect?  I found these metallic beauties at Joann fabrics!

I am also cutting out this fabric combo for the Large Shopper.  An older Melody Miller Print with Denim and Leather Trim.  You can still find this fabulous print at Sew Me A Song!  I'm almost out so I need to order more!

Last week I received these lovely fabrics from Krista at Spotted Stones.  I love them all and can't wait to make a patchwork pouch.

Enjoy your day!
xo
Charise