Me Made May 2015

I was away this past weekend.  A Blissful few days at my annual yoga retreat : )  I brought my iPad and took a little time to look at my Instagram feed.  Well.... I kept seeing "Me Made May '15" photos and hash tags.  After a little research I found So Zo's website, the creator behind the challenge.

Since I have been designing and sewing more clothes for myself I decided to join!  So here  is my pledge:

I, Charise of ChariseCreates.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. I endeavour to wear a handmade garment or accessory (bag, jewelry scarf) each day for the duration of May 2015'.
I am very excited to be a part of the challenge!

I am a bit late to the party but I am looking forward to wearing clothes I have made for myself.  My goal is that this challenge will help me figure out what items I need in my wardrobe and what new items I want to design and sew.  I know for sure that a pair of Jamie Jeans is in my future.  I just can't seem to find slim jeans that fit right!

Today was my first Me Made May '15 day and I wore my sparkle sweatshirt with jeans and converse and my Lovely Gathered Clutch.  The perfect outfit to wear to walk the kids up to school and do some work at home : )

xo
Charise

Selfish Sewing Week

I just learned about a fabulous contest called "Selfish Sewing Week".  I love an excuse for a little selfish sewing : ) It is sponsored by Indie Sew and Imagine Gnats.  Indie Sew is a wonderful pattern site featuring clothing and accessory patterns.

Imagine Gnats sells apparel fabrics and patterns.  Both sites are definitely worth taking a look see : )

My Lovely Gathered Clutch Pattern in the fun Cotton + Steel Prints was first on my list and this was just the excuse I needed!  I have a feeling this will be my go to clutch this Spring.  It is A perfect size - not too bit and not too small.

The Denyse Schmidt print for the lining matches the Cotton + Steel Print perfectly!

My other selfish sewing project at the top of my list was turning my Anna Blouse into a dress.  Well....I had some Anna Maria Horner Sinister Swarm rayon challis in my stash. I decided to use it for my first sample, also called a fitting garment or muslin.  You can read more about making a muslin HERE.

The print is lovely but honestly not my usual style, a bit busier than I would normally wear.
It has a beachy, summery feel to it and would be perfect with a pair of sandals on a summer day : )
We are heading down to Palm Springs in a few weeks so I will give it a "wear test" there.

I am really happy with the way it turned out!  I raised the neckline by 3/4".  

You can find a tutorial HERE.  

I also made a flutter sleeve by increasing the bicep area of the sleeve.  You can find a tutorial HERE.

The dress has an A-line shape which I wanted to change to to be fitted at the waist.  

I added a 1" waist tunnel to the inside and inserted 1/2" elastic.  I decided I wanted the waist to be a bit higher - empire style - it sits 2" higher than my natural waist.

The lovely part of adding the tunnel is you can place the waistline wherever you like.  You could position it at the waist or a little lower for a blouson look.

The next dress will have on-seam pockets.  I'm thinking I will use this adorable Heart and Key rayon challis print from Harts fabric.

xo
Charise

Tips for Sewing with Suede and Leather

I love to use suede as trim on the purses I sew. 

I think it adds a professional look to my projects.

 I was so excited with the results of my suede trimmed “Lovely Gathered Clutch” that I decided to stitch a clutch purse entirely in suede. 

 Here are my tips based on sewing on my home machine. I hope these tips encourage you to take the plunge in sewing with suede and leather! 

 Each one of these clutch purses were sewn on my very simple Singer Home sewing machine!

1. A walking foot is my answer to all sewing on suede except for zippers (see #7 below).  I’ve tried a teflon foot but the walking foot has yielded the best results for me.

2. Use polyester or nylon thread.  If you want your topstitching to stand out, use a heavy weight 100% Polyester heavy weight thread.

3. Attach a leather needle to your sewing machine.  A leather needle is extra sharp and designed for suede/leather sewing.  I like to use a size 18 needle for mid weight suede / leather. 

4. Use a longer stitch length and loosen tension. I set my machine to 3.5.  Be sure to test your stitch length and tension on a scrap piece of suede before you sew your final project.

5. Use non-fusible interfacing to add stability to suede and leather.  To attach the interfacing to the suede/leather piece, apply glue ~ I like to use a fabric glue stick ~ to the perimeter of the sudede/ leather piece and attach the interfacing.  Baste around the outer edge of the piece with a basting stitch 1/4" from the edge.

6. Use clips to hold the seams together.  My favorite clips are from Clover.  Pinning is not an option as it will leave holes in the suede/leather.

7.  For sewing on a zipper, or any time you can't use a walking foot, cut a strip of tissue paper about 1” wide and a few inches longer than the seam you are sewing.  Place the tissue under the seam and the suede will not get stuck to the feed dogs and sewing machine plate when stitching the seam.

Remove the tissue paper when you are finished sewing the seam.

8. To flatten seams, use a brayer.  To keep the seam in place before stitching, apply fabric glue stick to the seam allowance to hold in place as pictured. If you want to hold the seams in place permanently, use permanent contact cement.

I hope those tips will help you feel confident sewing with Suede or Leather!!

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