Sunday Stash

I thought I would share a few lovely fabrics I recently received!

These beautiful Japanese prints by Atsuko Matsuyama and Fumika Oishi are from Sew Me A Song.  I love the sweet prints and colors!

 

If you are a regular reader you will probably be surprised to see these.  I never pick orange prints but I adore these.  They are DS Fabric Traditions from Joann fabrics.  The aqua/orange combo is spot on and very 1970's - my era as a kiddo : )

 

Have a lovely evening!

xo

Charise

Consoling myself.....

Yesterday I was planning and scheming ways to get to Quilt Market which just happens to be in Portland Oregon which is just a 3-4 hour drive from Seattle.  I received an email from Becca and another from Amber who both live on the East Coast asking me if I was going to be there. They are both the absolutely loveliest ladies and I was so excited to meet them but I told them I couldn't - kids, scheduled activities, etc - then I spoke with my hubby who said "you should go".  So yesterday after picking up the boys from school I was heading home to send the ladies emails saying "I'm coming to Quilt Market and can't wait to meet you in person!".

When I picked up my youngest son, he said he wasn't feeling well and what do you know  -  he had a temp of 102 degrees.  Plans for quilt market dashed : (

So to console myself today, I, finally, after about a year of owning it, put up a design wall.  It is just a vinyl grid with fuzzy fabric on one side and large grommets on the top -  I think I bought it at Joann Fabrics.  Armed with the drill and some cup hooks I now have a design wall.  I'm pretty darn excited. 

I hope to meet the ladies someday soon, though I'll have to say I feel fortunate to be able to make a little sick guy feel better : )

xo
Charise

Quilter's Favorites

Geta from Romania is hosting a “Quilter's Favorites” party on her blog!

 

I am going to share some of my favorite things for sewing and quilting!

I design paper pieced patterns, small fabric goods and clothing.  I'm excited to share some of my favorite notions, my beloved sewing machine and creative storage solutions with you! 

***Favorite Notions***

Clover Flower Head Pins are my favorite.  They are so useful because I can accurately match seams on paper piecing patterns and if you are very careful, you can stitch over them! 

You can find my tutorial for matching seams here.

 

*Image From Vintage Block Quilt Along*

 

Another must have tool for foundation paper piecing is Office Depot Vellum paper.

I LOVE this paper.  It is 100% cotton so you can iron with a dry iron without distorting the pattern.  It is also translucent so you can see where you are placing the pattern on your fabric.  Perfect for fussy cutting as pictured above!

 

 

***My Sewing Machine***

 

 

 

A few years ago I treated myself to a Vintage Singer 221 Featherweight sewing machine.  It is exactly the same age as me!

It is my machine of choice for piecing.  It is small and sturdy and so lovely to look at!

I found mine on Ebay for a reasonable price.

 

***Storage***

 

My sewing space is shared with my family living space

so I like storage items that are pretty and practical. 

 

Vintage ball jars and vases add a pretty touch when used as storage vessels.

 Since my projects and notions are in view,

 I try very had to make the table as visually pleasing as possible!

 

This is my cutting area.  I have my rotary cutters in a vintage Roseville pot I found at a vintage shop.

I love to store my frequently used thread in blue glass Ball jars.  I found these at vintage shops in the Seattle area for about $10. 

 

 

This fabric bowl is part of a nested set of three I designed for Stitch magazine.  I put miscellaneous items there to get them off my table!

This 1930's saucer holds pins!

 

Plastic Bins

Oh how I love them.  Since I store my fabric and projects in my bedroom, it is nice to have everything compartmentalized for easy access and storage. 

 

I have bins for specific projects like my hexie hot pads here.

 

My fabric is also stored in plastic bins - mostly by color.

I have found that storing fabrics is best done by the way you use your fabric.  I also store my text fabrics separately and my favorite designer fabrics have their own bins.

 

Large scrap book storage bins are perfect for storing quilt blocks.

 

Thank you Geta for hosting this wonderful quilting blog hop!!!
 

xo

Charise

 

 





Daisy Pinwheel - Block #7 - Vintage Block Quilt Along

Yay!!!! Thanks for your patience my lovely quilting friends! 

Here is the 7th installment of the Vintage Block Quilt Along!

Daisy Pinwheel

an Alice Brooks Pattern

By Charise Randell

12” finished / 12 ½” unfinished Block

This block was referred to as "Pinwheel #7101" in the original pattern.  I have added Daisy to distinguish it from block #6 in the QAL which is also named "Pinwheel".
 This block is made from 4 identical squares. 

Each individual square is 6 ½”.     There is lots of curved piecing involved in the construction of this block, but I have added matching marks (notches) to make it easier to construct!

Pattern Link Here

                               ~A few tips ~
*Read through all the instructions before proceeding.

*Start with a sharp new sewing machine needle.

* Print the templates onto card stock

*Cut the outside edge of the background fabric 1/8’ – ¼” so you have a little “wiggle room” when truing up your final block.

FABRIC
~ 8 – 3 ¼” x 6 ¼” rectangles assorted print fabric
~ a F8 for the background
~1 – 3 ¼” square print fabric for the center circle

OTHER SUPPLIES

~ Cardstock

~Fine Sewing Pins ~ I like Clover Flower Head Pins Fine (.45) 
~Chalk for marking ~ I like Clover Triangle Tailor’s Chalk
~Freezer Paper
~Spray Starch

CUT
Cut 4 each A1 Print fabric
Cut 4 each A2 Background Fabric
Cut 4 each B1 Print fabric
Cut 4 each B2 Background Fabric
Cut 1 each 3" x 3" square for the center circle of the block

 INSTRUCTIONS

1. Stitch A1 to A2 :

With right sides together, match the notch on A1 and A2.  Pin in place.  Gently pull the background fabric edge to match the curved edge of A1.

Pin around the curve.

 2.  With the background piece A2 facing you, stitch with a ¼” seam allowance. Press the seam allowance towards the center of the block.

 3. Repeat #1-#2 for B1 and B2

 4. With the right sides together,  match the notch on A2 to the seam on B2.  Stitch in place.   Press seam open.

 5. Proceed for the other three sections.

 6. With right sides together, match the raw edges and the notch.  Stitch the top right section to the bottom right section.

Repeat for the left side.

7. Stitch the right section to the left section matching seams.

 8. Create the center circle:

a) Iron the freezer paper circle to the center of the back fabric circle.

b) Hand stitch a gathering stitch around the perimeter of the circle.

c) Turn the fabric circle over and pull up the gathering stitch.

Place a q-tip or small brush in the starch. Apply the starch to the seam allowance.
Carefully iron the seam allowance over the edge of the freezer paper circle.

d) Loosen the gathering stitch and remove the freezer paper circle. You should have a perfect circle!

Turn to the right side and press.

e) Position the circle on the center of the block.

Stitch in place with a machine edge stitch or by hand with an invisible stitch.

Shelburne Falls Winner

We have a winner!

Andri won the FQ of Shelburne Falls in the Maple colorway from Pink Castle Fabrics!
Andri wrote:

"The bowls are too cute" : )

Thanks Andri - they were fun to make.  I'll be contacting you soon for your email address!

Random Bits

I have been working on the pattern for my "Penelope" bag this week.  I did a first run with some of my favorite Liberty Lifestyle Fabrics. I was pretty happy with the results but decided to make a few changes - one being adding a paper pieced flower of one side.  This is completely optional-  but the pattern for the flower will be included in the Penelope bag pattern. 

Brenda at Pink Castle is having a 20% off sale on everything!  Yes everything!
Use code EVERYTHING20 at checkout!  She has the new Liberty Lifestyle Stile line which I love!

Ok....off to get ready for my 6 year olds birthday party with his friends!!!!

Stitch Magazine Summer '13 & a Give-Away

 

 

I'm happy to share two projects I designed that are featured in Stitch Magazine, Summer 2013.

You will find it on news stands now! 

 The first is my set of Petal Nesting bowls.

Each individual petal and the bottom of the bowl is machine stitched. The individual petals and the base of the bowl are hand stitched together.  It is a great project to take on the go! 

The bowls sit on my work table and are the perfect place to put small sewing notions.

They would also be lovely on a dressing table for displaying your jewelry.

I used Denyse Schmidt's newest Shelburne Falls collection.  I love this collection!

 

The theme of the issue inspired me to design this maxi dress.  I love maxi dresses for summer time because they are so easy to wear - I love to feel dressed up and comfortable at the same time : )  This dress would be equally as lovely without the front ruffle! The flower is removeable and would be a fun embellishment on a hand bag!

In celebration of these projects I am hosting a give-away!  Brenda at Pink Castle Fabrics has generously donated a FQ set of the Maple colorway of DS Shelburne Falls.

Please leave a comment below and I will pick a winner on Saturday.  The give-away will be open until Friday 11:59 pm. PST.  Good luck!!!

Fun Bundles at Pink Castle Fabrics!

A quick post to let you know that Brenda at Pink Castle fabrics is extending her Bundle sale! Use the code BUNDLE20 at check out.   Love her word up bundle!!!

Happy Shopping!

xo
Charise

Sunday Stash - Estate Sale Edition

Actually this post should be called - "Sunday stash, I have a great husband, and the loot you can get for $5 at a garage sale!"
Yesterday at almost 5:00 p.m. my hubs called me from a garage sale.  He was enroute to picking up our son at a friends house.  "You have to see this" he said!  "There is a garage of fabric and notions here".  He told the person running the garage sale that I am a seamstress and would be on my way over!
I was shocked......my husband was supporting my habit! We live in a very small house (950 s.f. not including the basement and thank goodness for the basement) and there are boxes of fabric in our closet, in our bedroom and they make their way into the living/dining room (aka "the studio") when I am working on a project which is pretty much daily!  So, the fact that he let me know about the sale and encourage me was so sweet!

Most of the fabrics were very 1970's and not my style, and lots of wools and garment making fabrics.
The boxes were stacked on every wall in her studio which was a 2 car garage.  Needless to say,  I was a bit overwhelmed and looked specifically for cotton fabrics.  I could have spent hours there but they were wrapping up for the day and I had to move quickly.

In a box marked "aprons" I found the three prints above.  I also found about 4 yards of eyelet!  Everything was $1 per pound.

I just happened to have this Suzuko Koseki on my table and I think the trim is smashing with it.  I'll have to try and figure out a project to marry the two.

 

 

 

Not super exciting but very useful tiny pin dot and a fun retro floral.

 

 

I was so happy to find these.  The "Stitch n Patch Quilts" is a 1976 leaflet and has some great quilt patterns.  The "Quilts" booklet is from the 40's!  You have to love the covered button kits for .39 and .40 cents.

All in all I'm proud that I was able to restrain myself : )
I left feeling that I need to use the fabric I have however precious it may seem.    I certainly don't want to have a 2 car garage full when I'm too old to sew : )

xo
Charise

Cream and Sugar

For those of you who read my post yesterday, I think it paid off.  I shared a list in photos of some unfinished projects and it prompted me to get one done!  My "In the Kitchen ~ Creamer and Sugar Bowl" Pattern is complete!  It is the perfect companion to the "Strawberries in a Bowl" Pattern!

I use some of my favorite fabrics for this block.  The aqua creamer print is from Moda's Glamping.  The plaid is an older print from my stash.

The body of the sugar bowl is from Alexander Henry's Farmdale and the fussy cut "France 1952" text print is from Suzuko Koseki. The tablecloth fabric is an older print from Windham - "Country Lane".

On a family note, my youngest celebrated his 6th birthday on Thursday.  He is growing up so fast.
Even his presents were more grown up!  Less toys this year.......and he got a Kindle - I don't even have one!! : )

xo
Charise

A post about finishing....

Ok...I'll have to say I'm writing this post because lately I'm having a really hard time completing some Works in Progress.  I'm hoping this post will give me the push to finish them : )
The first is this creamer that was going to be a part of my strawberrries in a bowl pattern.  But I decided to keep the creamer separate and add a sugar bowl companion to this one instead.  So close......the sugar bowl is hand sketched and ready to draw in the computer!

This handbag was finished last year.  It is the large version of the small gathered versions for Stitch magazine.  Instructions are written, pics taken.....just need to trace the pattern on Illustrator!
I love the combo of the DS Flea Market Fancy and the Melody Miller print!

This is a new WIP - shame on me!  I love my Liberty Lifestyle Fabrics and thought this would be a good design for it.  This is the first version or my "muslin" and I have some changes I want to make but I do like where this is going!

I also want to make it in these fabrics - more beautiful Liberty Lifestyle with some sparkly linen!

And these!

I'm dying to finish this pattern.  It is a block I made for Ayumi in the Ringo Pie Bee last year.  I'm going to do a new version - same jam jars with the addition of some new fruit blocks.

And the pattern for this block is started- I just need an afternoon to make it a reality!

 

BTW - have you seen Ayumi's new book?  It is wonderful.  Hope to make a project from her book soon and share it with you!!!

OK.......Maybe now that I have put it down in print I'll actually finish some of these works in progress! 

 

I'd love to hear about you unfinished projects!  Have I inspired you to finish a few?

Have a great day!

xo

Charise

Pat a Cake & More Pomme Potholders

 

 

I have a pile of projects that I've wanted to check off the "to do" list.  This afternoon I spent some time whittling down the list.  One is my now shrinking list of Bee Blocks.  Yay!!!
Erin in the Cocorico Bee is making a baby quilt!  She asked for Nursery Rhyme Blocks.

I picked Pat a Cake. 

I created the cake and cake stand pattern

the "B" is from Kumiko Fujita's Patchwork Patterns 318.

 

 

I'm working on finishing seven of my Pomme Potholders for various people.  These are in various stages of finish.  These are very easy and fun to make and make great gifts.  You can find the pattern in Stitch Spring 2013.

 

xo

Charise