* Ruffle Clutch Tutorial on the Liberty Craft Blog *

I can't even begin to tell you how excited and honored I am to have a tutorial on the Liberty Craft Blog!!!  I created a sweet ruffle clutch using Liberty Lifestyle Stile collection. It is a fun little project - perfect for summer when you want a smaller purse to hold all you essentials.   Please head on over and visit the blog.  They have some great tutorials and patterns there!

 

 

You can find some of the Stile Fabrics I used here at Drygood Design and Pink Castle Fabrics.

Happy Sewing!!!

xo

Charise

Super Online Sewing Match - Challenge #2 * Rollerskate Dress *

[Ella the Model]

 

[Dress Front]

 

[Dress Back]

I'm so excited to share my garment in the Sew Mama Sew - Super Online Sewing Match!  The challenge was to make Liesl + Co's, Oliver + S Rollerskate dress!  I don't have girls - so I was really happy to have the opportunity to sew a little girl's dress!!  My model is Ella!

[My Inspiration Board]

The inspiration board is filled with ideas and fabrics for the dress.  I love yellow and pink and thought it would be a perfect combo for a little girl's summer dress! 

 

 

[Grandmother's Flower Paper pieced pattern]

 

The jumping off point for the design was this Grandmother's Flower paper pieced pattern. I design paper piecing patterns and thought this one would be a perfect addition to the dress! 

 

[Pocket Detail]

 

 I created two flowers for the pockets in some of my favorite japanese fabrics.  It was fun to fussy cut the motifs for the petals!

 

My version of the dress called for a contrast waistband so I created 1" bias strips and stitched them to the front and back of the dress.  I wanted the shirring detail so elastic was added under the casing.

 

The back closure is three self fabric covered buttons + loops.  The pattern calls for one loop but I thought the three bird buttons would be perfect!

 

 

I spaced the loops about 3/8" apart rather than stitching them right next to each other.  This  way I could stitch the buttons closer to the edge.

[Hem Facing Detail]

 

Instead of twice turning the bottom edge to hem the skirt, I made a hem facing.  I love this detail since you get a nice clean finish with the option of adding a fun pop of contrast fabric. 

I overlocked all the skirt seams - CB, and side seams for added durability since children's clothes are washed - a lot!!!!

. 

To add a Hem Facing to your pattern:

1. Trace the bottom of the front and back pattern pieces and measure up 2" from the bottom on the contrast hem fabric.  Cut out the hem facing pieces.

2. Stitch the CB and side seams together with fabric right sides together. 

3.  Fold under 1/4" on the top edge. Press.  Stitch the bottom facing to the bottom hem, right sides together. (I used a 1/4" s.a.).

4. Press the facing to the wrong side of the bottom skirt.  Roll the facing slightly up so you can see just a bit (about 1/16") of the outer fabric. 

5.  Edgestitch the facing in place.

 

The pattern calls for a full lining.  The fabric I used for the dress was heavy enough without the lining (I used quilting weight or mid weight cotton) so I decided to create a bodice facing to finish the neck and armholes.  The bottom of the facing is overlocked. The facing is machine tacked at the side seams at the bottom of the facing.

 

* A few notes about the pattern *

First I have to say - I loved the pattern!  The instructions and illustrations are wonderful. I would definitely use Liesel + Co patterns again.

*Be sure to measure your model as instructed in the pattern!  I was not able to measure Ella prior to making the dress, so I made the dress one size smaller since she is a petite six year old and the size 5 pattern was still a bit too big.  Hopefully she will be able to wear it next summer too!

*Once you pick your size and cut out the pattern, measure the pattern to figure out your fabric requirements.  I only needed 3/4 of a yard for a size 5 in 44" wide fabric.  I was able to do this since I flipped the back pattern piece.  If you use a directional fabric, you would need the amount of fabric advised in the pattern.

 

 

Happy Sewing!!

xo

Charise

Grandmother's Flower Paper Pieced Pattern and a little Sunday Stash

Hope you have been enjoying the summer.  It has been beautiful here in Seattle!

I've been sewing - lots!  Currently working on the 2nd challenge in the Sew Mama Sew - "Super Online Sewing Match."

Today I stitched my Grandmother's Flower pattern.  I developed this pattern as a paper piecing alternative to the grandmother's flower hexagon flower.  It is nice to have a way to make a hexagon flower without hand stitching.  I love the way it turned out in the yellow/pink version!

 

[Left to Right: three on left-Diamond Patch by Clothworks, Daiwaboo Berries on Red, Daiwaboo Berries on Mint, Daiwaboo Flower Baskets, Lecien Luggage 80] 

 

On another note, I received these lovely fabrics from Beca at Sew Me A Song.  Love, love, love them all and can't wait to cut in to them!!!

 

xo

Charise

Vintage Floral A-Line Skirt - Super Online Sewing Match Challenge #1

Welcome to my first post in the "Super Online Sewing Match" hosted by Sew Mama Sew. 

The first challenge was to make and design an A-line Skirt

with the help of Deborah Moebes' Craftsy class. 

 

I sketched many ideas but settled on a skirt that I would wear - a lot!!  I have two fairly young boys so summer days are spent in sandals and tank tops.  I wanted a skirt that was easy and flattering with some sweet vintage inspired design details. I love 1940's and 1950's vintage styles.  I have been collecting vintage feedsacks since I started quilting a few years ago and collecting vintage sewing pattern for years!  Both became the inspiration for this challenge.

I decided to use a lightweight floral printed dotted swiss cotton fabric that has a sweet vintage fabric vibe and add piping to accentuate the yoke line and scoop pockets.

 

Deborah Moebes class in an excellent one for someone who has made clothes from commercial patterns and is ready to branch off into making a custom pattern to fit your measurements.  There is nothing like a custom made garment that fits your body perfectly!

The first step was drafting a basic skirt sloper (basic pattern based on your personal measurements) that I could use as a start for any skirt project I tackle in the future. Deborah does an excellent job helping you draft your own a-line skirt sloper.  My pattern drafting book from design school came in handy along with Deborah's tips from the Craftsy class.

 I then manipulated the basic skirt pattern, removing the darts to create a flattering, tummy flattening yoke and also added curved front pockets.  I love skirts with pockets!!!

  The piping accentuates the simple design details.

Adding a light weight cotton lawn lining was a must since the dotted swiss floral was slightly sheer.

The side seams on the skirt are overlocked and pressed open and the lining seam is left as a raw edge.

I decided to add a soft rayon hem tape to finish the hem.  I eased the bottom edge of the skirt hem on to the tape since the bottom hem is just slighty larger than the hem line.
The hem is hand stitched with an invisible blind hem.  I then added a french tack or swing tack to attach the lining to the skirt body.

I am very happy with the invisible zipper!  Deborah's tips for adding an invisible zipper are fab!

To make sure the horizontal piping lines matched, I stitched one side of the zipper in place, marked the yoke placement on the opposite zipper tape and then hand tacked the opposite side to the skirt so the piping would match perfectly!



Here are a few more photos of the finished skirt on Mabel the mannequin!

[Skirt Front]

[Skirt Back]

 

I'm really looking forward to making different versions of this skirt for my summer wardrobe!

 

xo

Charise

The Super Online Sewing Match

 

 

Have you seen the Great British Sewing Bee?  If you haven't -I suggest you do!  It is wonderful!!!  You can find it on YouTube.

Much in BBC style, it is very educational with sewing tutorials and sewing history in each episode. 

I heart British television!!!

 The contestants are from all walks of life and bring different experiences to the show.

So, in case you haven't heard, Sew Mama Sew is hosting their own online version - The Super Online Sewing Match.  I read about it and thought that would be fun - lots of work - but lots of fun.  After deliberating for a few days I decided to enter.  And guess what -  I'M IN!!!!! 

I'm super excited and to be honest, a bit nervous. 

I love sewing clothes so this will be a fun challenge.

The first challenge is designing and sewing an A-Line skirt.  The instructions are via a Craftsy class that teaches you how to draft your own skirt based on your measurements.  I have my skirt sloper (basic skirt pattern) from design school in 1990 - but doubt it fits any more : )  Boy, I wish it did!    Yesterday I spent most of the day adjusting to the idea of being a contestant, and pinching myself : ) 

I also did some sketching, gleaned some inspiration from fashion magazines and pulled some fabrics. 

Today I drafted my sloper or basic skirt pattern and start on the design.

I hope you will follow along and keep your fingers crossed I make it beyond Round 1!!!

xo
Charise

 

Sunday Stash and some random bits : )

For the ladies that are sewing along with me in the Vintage Block Quilt Along - thank you for your patience!  I have been working on the pattern for the latest block and should have it done soon.  The original pieces were not measuring correctly so I redrafted the pattern.  The block is "Bluebell" from the Kansas City Star and you can see my fabric pull in the pic above.  It is a sweet floral block and I think it will look smashing with the others : )

I couldn't resist these lovely fabrics from Riley Blake.  They are Lori Holt's newest line, "Bake Sale".

Aren't they adorable?

I also purchased these fabrics from Pink Castle fabrics.  They are Melody Miller for Kokka, "Ruby Star Polka Dot".  I cannot wait to cut into these!  Pink castle is having a sale for 25% off all fabrics with the code Fourth!

This week I was running errands and couldn't resist stopping by a favorite thrift store in Seattle - Value Village.  I found this adorable nightie pattern from 1979.  It was on sale for 38 cents and all the pieces are there!!!

I have 5 yards of the Anna Maria Horner Voile I think will be adorable for this style!

Stay tuned......I will have a very fun announcement tomorrow.  Lets just say I hope to bee a "busy bee" sewing all summer!!!

 

xo

Charise  

Craft if Forward

I'm very happy to announce that all five lovely ladies that signed up for

craft if forward have received their packages. 

I made Pomme potholders for everyone with a little extra in each package.   

I know how exciting is is to receive a little something in the mail - just like Christmas opening a special package!

 

It was a fun experience for me and I love the whole idea of this! 

Thanks to Mette for sending me this lovely package last year!

 

A busy day in the yard and hopefully I'll sneak in some sewing, too!!!

xo
Charise

Work in Progress Wednesday

Thought I would share a few WIP's.  This one is a sneak peek of a submission I'm working on for Stitch Spring 2014.  The fabric is Melody Miller's Ruby Star Vinyl which I adore!!!! Becca at Sew me a Song still has this print in Stock!

The project is a bit of a departure for me - very sleek and modern : )

Last night I worked on some hexie hand sewing.  I always forget how much I enjoy it.  Nice to have something to work on late at night or outside during the summer!!!  I'll be doing some more hand sewing this evening while watching the first two episodes of Season 2, Game of Thrones!

 

 

 Happy almost 4th of July my North American friends. I think we may actually have a sunny Fourth here in Seattle, Wa. It pretty much always rains on the 4th of July in Seattle so I am over the moon!

 

xo

Charise

Sunday Stash Vintage Edition

I hope you had a lovely weekend.  Mine was very busy - out in the yard.  Lots of yard work and my hubs finally painted our front porch.  Woo Hoo!!!!  Nothing like a little 4th of July party to motivate one to get the house in order : )

Today's Sunday stash is a find from a local thrift store - Value Village.  I rarely find anything there - it is in a busy area of Seattle and picked over.

  I did find vintage flea market fancy - green leaves - before the reprint ages ago.

I love this retro 70's fabric.  Very Marcia Brady : )  I think it would be a cute hand bag or tote.

The Fire King baking dish was also a lucky find!  A good day at Value Village.

[Left - New Ball jar, Right - Vintage Ball Jar]

 

I was reading the latest Country Living and spied this page.  Ball jars are now available in blue!

I have a small collection of vintage jars and I adore them.  They hold my thread and I just love the beautiful turquoise color.  Country Living has a link to an online store but I did an online search and found them at my local Ace Hardware store.  The new jars are definitely brighter and smaller than the vintage ones (New on Left, Vintage on Right ) but I think they will be perfect for storing buttons and the like! They are also about $2 a piece!!!

 

 

I thought it would be fun to show you my "photography studio".  Inspired by Lynne of Lily's Quilts - she shared hers on Instagram.  I was pleasantly surprised to see she uses a similar method for her blog photos!  I use a piece of white poster board which I tape to the back of the chair.  I set it up in the SW corner of my house which has the best light.  It works wonders when you have little space for photograpy!  I also love to use picmonkey to brighten up my photos - definitely a must for grey Seattle photo shoots : ) 

 

Hope your weekend was lovely !!!

 

xo

Charise

I'm in Love.....

OK... this is a bit embarassing but I'm referring to my new i-pad mini.  I have been waffling for so long and probably one of the last people to get a "smart" device.  Instagram pushed me over the edge.  Sadly Flickr is quiet and many of my Flickr friends have headed over to instagram.  Flickr is great for organizing photos and is the place I met most of my lovely quilting and sewing friends! It is a wonderful tool for groups and quilt alongs.   I'm not abandoning Flickr but I do love the community and sharing on Instagram.  Pls visit me there - you can find the link to my account on the right hand side of my blog - I'm @charisecreates.  Here are a few pics I've taken on Instagram and shared in the past few days..........

I'm almost finished with these pouces for a class at Drygoods Design.  The left one is finished. The one on the right is basted, just need to stitch the frame to the pouch with some bright red perle cotton embroidery floss!

My quilt came back from Quiltmaker Magazine - so happy to have it home!!

I'm adding another border on my "Color burst" quilt!  It is getting too big for my design wall!!

I hope you are enjoying the summer!

xo

Charise

Sunday Sewing & Sunday Stash

I hope you had a good weekend and Summer Solstice.  I was going through some sewing bins and found this block in pieces.  I think it was an option for Ayumi's ringo pie block  that I abandoned!  I have wanted to make a pattern from this block for ages.  Hopefully soon ~ It was fun to put it together : )

I had a wonderful first week of summer break and a wonderful weekend.

On Thursday, I met Melinda  (quirky granola girl) who was visiting Seattle from Maryland!  We have known each other two years online via Flickr through the Farmer's wife bee, Cocorico Bee and Ringo Pie bee. 

She is the loveliest person and we had such a fun afternoon shopping for fabric - of course : )

I also had a wonderful afternoon with my friend Sue who loves fabric as much as I do!

 

Here are my new acquisitions!

 

 I heart these lovely new Atsuko Maysuyama prints from Lecien.  Becca at Sew Me A Song has a nice selection in her shop here.

 

Sweet Low volume fabrics.  From Left to Right:

Avalon for moda, Posy by Aneela Hooey for Moda, Avalon for Moda, Basics by Alison Lindhardt for Adorn.it

 

Fun Pink, Red and Aqua

From Left to Right:

Timeless Treasures, Boho by Urban chiks for Moda, Giddy by Sandy Gervais for moda, Chemistry, Lakehouse dry goods, Avalon by Moda, 30's collection from Lecien.

 

Some of these have already made it into my Pretty Triangles quilt!

 

xo

Charise

Sneak Peeks : )

I'm so excited to share a little sneak peek of a book I will be in.  It doesn't come out until December but C & T publishing has a picture of the cover on their website!  You can find it Here and is available for pre-order on Amazon too!    It is a paper piecing book with lots of small projects - 37 to be exact.  You can see my round apple pouch in the upper left hand corner and if you look very carefully my calendar block is the center right on the bottom center pic!  Lots of my Ringo Pie Bee friends are in the book as well as ladies from the "Sew out Loud" quilt along!

I also just finished a project for the Liberty Lifestyle Blog!  I just love Liberty fabric and I am so honored and excited to be working with Liberty. It is a fun and easy project that I promise you will love!  Liberty has been a favorite fabric line for some time.  I did a little post about designing with Liberty here.

This is the first day of our summer break and I am working on creating structure to our day.  If any of you lovelies have ideas for things to keep your kiddos engaged and busy during the summer, I'd love to know your secrets : )

xo
Charise

Sewing for Friends and More Sewing for myself

Life has been busy here.  School is over tomorrow and I've been trying to get as much finished this week as possible since both my boys will be hanging out with me for the summer!

I've finished my "Craft it Forward" items and posted all but one of them today.  Thank you ladies for being sooooo patient : )   I'm embarassed to say it has taken me almost a year.  The past year has been busier that I would have ever dreamed but it is good!  I've had the opportunity to design and create lots of projects.

I finished this little set today!  A friend is having a baby girl -  and soon! I purchased the booty pattern quite some time ago from Beth at Weepereas.  It is a fabulous pattern - super easy to follow and fast to make.  The booties are reversible - you can't see from the photo but I used the ice cream print for the inside.
The peasant dress is a free pattern from Sew much ado.  It is available as a 0-3 month pattern for free and she also has larger sizes available for purchase.  It is also a wonderful pattern and I see myself making more of these sets for friends expecting baby girls.
The dress fabric is the Little Lisette line by Liesl & co. for Joann Fabrics and the Ice cream truck booties are Heather Ross fabric that came from some p.j's by Munki Munki.

 

Last week I was incredibly inspired to do some more sewing for myself. 

I made the adorable peasant top pattern that is a free download at Marth Stewart. 

Then I made another one - this time from a sheer georgette fabric - pictured above.  I narrowed the sleeves in order to fit the pattern on the amount of fabric I had on hand.  My next version will be short sleeves - perfect for summer!

 

 

 Anna at Noodlehead and Kerry at VeryKerryBerry posted the cutest tees from Skirt as top.  I headed on over to Skirt as top and printed out the pattern and instructions. 

It is a great pattern and the instructions are easy to follow. 

I made the blue one first and then went to a local fabric store and purchased the coral fabric.

The coral fabric is incredibly sheer and a bit had to work with. 
A little trick when working with very sheer fabrics - to help the fabric lay flat and keep from curling, spray with starch and iron.  It works like a charm!

I added the self knit trim on the arms - inspired by Anna!

  If you wish to do so, cut two strips 2" x 14" and follow the same instructions for the neckline.

 

I'm inspired to sew more - I can't wait to get started!

 

xo

Charise