New Macaroons and a Wrist Strap Tutorial

I have been working on a few new Macaroon Pouches with some of my favorite fabrics and some new favorites as well.

This is the smaller version which works perfectly with this adorable Flower Child Fabric from Art Gallery Fabric.

I also made this fun & Fancy Cat Macaroon Pouch with Cotton and Steel "Beauty Shop" collection.

I love the way it turned out!

The large pouch makes a perfect clutch so I created a Wrist Strap Tutorial.

You can use it for my Macaroon Pouch or any other zipper pouch you would like to turn into a clutch.

Materials:

1/2 yard 3/4" - 7/8" twill tape

1/2 yard 1/2" - 5/8" ribbon

3/4" Swivel Clasp and D-Ring

Cut: 

Twill tape:

11 1/2" length

2 1/2" length

Ribbon:

11 1/2" length
2 1/2" length

1) Center the 2 1/2" ribbon on the 2 1/2" length of twill tape.  Edge stitch both sides of the ribbon.
    Repeat for the 11 1/2" length of twill tape and ribbon.

2) Slip the 2 1/2" length of twill/ribbon onto the D-ring.  Baste 1/4" from the raw edge.

3) Place the D-ring 1 1/2" from the top raw edge of the pouch.  Baste in place.

~Proceed with the sewing instructions to finish your pouch~

Create the Strap ~

1) Slip the 11 1/2" length of twill/ribbon onto the swivel clasp with right sides together.
Stitch the short raw edges together with a 1/4" seam allowance back tacking at ends.  Turn right side out.

2) Slide the swivel class to the the seam.  Stitch 1/2" from the seam back tacking at ends.

Have a lovely day and Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

Spring Blossoms Sew Along ~ Week 9

This is our last Monday of the Spring Blossoms Sew Along.

If you are not ready to quilt and bind, not to worry, the sew along info will be on my blog for you to access at any time.

I will be doing a combination of "stitch in the ditch" quilting and echo quilting which you can see in the pic above.  

The pattern pictured is my Starburst Spools which you can find in my Etsy and Craftsy shops.

All the info can be found [HERE]

  Enjoy!

Happy Sewing 

xo

Charise

Wishing you a Joyous June

Wishing you a joyous June!

This is a sample of the roses from my garden.  I love this time of year!

The Gathered Coin Purse is from Stitch Gifts 2012.

Link to the magazine is [HERE]

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

Having fun sewing blocks from "Super cute paper piecing"

Hello! 

 I cannot believe it is already June and Summer is almost upon us!

The weather has been beautiful if the Pacific Northwest and I have been out in the yard every chance I get.

My kids are out of school at the end of June so I have also been trying to sew as much as possible before summer break.

I have been making blocks from my book Super Cute Paper Piecing.

They are so incredibly versatile and can be used in all kinds of sewing projects.

The sketch book shown uses my dress block from the book.

It was the perfect size for the front of this adorable sketch book.

The sketch book pattern is from Quilts and More's Summer issue and was designed by Heidi of Fabric Mutt..

I adore the pattern!  It has pockets on the inside to hold a sketch book, pens and pencils.

Don't you just love those kitten pens?  I found them at my local book store and couldn't resist them!

I made another apron block from by book and I love how it turned out!

The background fabric is a new color Essex linen from Robert Kaufmann fabrics called Nautical.

The fabrics in the dress and apron blocks designed by me and I am calling the fabric line "Cherry Blossom".    I plan on having them available in my Etsy shop and at my Spoonflower shop very soon.

Check back here for updates.

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

Spring Blossoms Sew Along ~ Week 8

Happy Monday and Memorial Day for those in the U.S.

Today I am sharing Week 8 instructions for The Spring Blossoms Sew Along.

This week we are embroidering the flight path and small butterfly.

My preferred method for transferring the embroidery is to print out the pattern and place it

under the quilt top, positioning the artwork as per the diagram.  Then, trace the stitching line with a water soluble pen or pencil.

You can find all the instructions [HERE]

Enjoy the day!

I am heading over to my in-laws for a Memorial Day BBQ and a bit of stitching!

Happy Stitching!

xo

Charise

Spring Blossoms Sew Along ~ update to week 7, Assembling the Quilt

Hello and Happy Monday.

A quick note to let you know I found a small error from last week.

It affects Week 7, step #9 on page 2.

You can find the revised instructions [HERE]

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

Spring Blossoms Sew Along ~ Week 7, Quilt Assembly

Hello and Happy Monday!

I hope you enjoyed having a week to catch up on the Spring Blossoms Sew Along.

If you are new to the sew along or just joining, no worries!  

All the info for the sew along is on my blog and you can find it [HERE]

Sew at your own pace and have fun!

This is not a race : )

This week I am sharing the Quilt Assembly.  You can find the info [HERE]
I found an error in the original document.  The revised document is [HERE]
The change was made to page 2, #9.

Please tag photos of your Spring Blossoms Quilt on social media with the hashtag 

#SpringBlossomsSewAlong

I love to see what you make!

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

Spring Blossoms Sew Along ~ Catch up Week

Happy Monday and welcome to the Spring Blossoms Sew Along.

Today was suppose to be the "Assemble The Quilt" week of the sew along.

Unfortunately I have had a problem with my computer and my files have disappeared.

As in, whoosh they disappeared into thin air and, I cannot find the folder on my computer!

I am working to restore documents so there will be a short delay in the Sew Along.

Good news, if you are following the schedule you have some time to catch up.

And you can find the updated schedule [HERE]

Have a lovely day!

xo

Charise

Spring Blossoms Sew Along - Week 6

Hello and Happy Monday!

Today I am sharing the instructions to make the border pinwheels for the Spring Blossoms Quilt.

You can find the instructions for prior weeks 1-5 of the quilt along [HERE]

You can find all the info and instructions to make the border pinwheels [HERE]

With this method you will be able to make two half square triangle blocks per 2 squares which makes the sewing much faster.

And please be sure to tag you photos on social media with the hashtag #SpringBlossomsSewAlong so I can see your makes!

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

Spring Blossoms Sew Along ~ Week 5

Welcome to Week 5 of the Spring Blossoms Sew Along.

The info for the Sew Along can be found [HERE]

This week we are making pinwheels that are the leaves for the flower blocks.
You will need three for the quilt.

You can find all the info [HERE]

Please be sure to tag your photos with #SpringBlossomsSewAlong

I love to see what you make!

Happy Sewing
xo
Charise

Spring Blossoms Sew Along ~ Week 4

Welcome to week 4 of the Spring Blossoms Sew Along.

This week we are making flower blocks.
You will need three for the quilt.

You can find all the info [HERE]

I love the fussy cutting possibilities with the flowers.
I used a Holly Holderman print for the Birds, " Birdies" by Lake HouseDryGoods.
The petite florals are from Atsuko Matsuyama.

Please be sure to tag your photos with #SpringBlossomsSewAlong

I love to see what you make!

Happy Sewing
xo
Charise

Spring Blossoms Sew Along - Week 3

It is Week 3 of the 

 Spring Blossoms Sew Along.

Thanks for stopping by!

The mini quilt is made with blocks from my book "Super Cute Paper Piecing"

This week we will be making the Butterfly and Rain Drop blocks.

You can find the instructions for the Butterfly [HERE]

and the Rain Drops [HERE]

The butterfly block is made from

 a favorite Lecien floral print and a matching solid for the border.

I could not resist fussy cutting the rain drop blocks from some favorite prints 

from my stash!

 

If you missed week  1 & 2 click [HERE] for all the info.

Please be sure to tag your photos on social media with the hashtag #SpringBlossomsSewAlong

I love to see what you make!

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise 

Spring Blossoms Sew Along ~ Week 2 ~ Watering Can

Hello!

Today I am sharing the first block for the Spring Blossoms Sew Along.

I created a fun mini quilt with blocks from my book "Super Cute Paper Piecing"

You can find the instructions to make the Watering Can Block [HERE]

I kept the fabrics fairly simple on this block.

The floral is "Flower Sugar" from Lecien fabrics.  The "Ciao" print is from Suzuko Koseki.

You can find a different color way of the print at Sew Me A Song on Etsy [HERE] and at Delta Patchwork  [HERE]

I used a matching solid print for the spout and handles.

Please be sure to tag your photos on social media with the hashtag #SpringBlossomsQuiltAlong

I love to see what you make!

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise 

Spelling Bee Saturday!

Hello and welcome!

It is my stop on the Spelling Bee Saturday Sew Along hosted by the Fat Quarter Shop.

"Spelling Bee" is the adorable book by designer Lori Holt of A Bee in my Bonnet.

I made the letter "u" from the book, and decided to combine it with my Fussy Cut Heart pattern!

I also used the capital letter "I" from Lori Holt's fabulous book.

The fabric for the letter "I" is Glamper-licious from Riley Blake.  The print is Pink Cherries and you can find it at Fat Quarter shop [HERE]

The letter "u" is made from Lori Holt's Calico Days dot which is now out of print but this pink Lori Holt "Bake Sale 2" dot would work perfectly in it's place!

The"Fussy Cut Heart" pattern can be found in my Etsy and Craftsy shops.

The girl fabric in the center of the heart is an out of print Japanese fabric and the tiny gingham can be found [HERE]

Be sure to visit the Fat Quarter Shop Blog - The Jolly Jabber to see the other adorable blocks made from Lori's book.

Be sure to tag you photos with the hashtag #SpellingBeeSaturday so I can find your fabulous makes!

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

Spring Blossoms Sew Along ~ Week 1

Welcome to Week 1 of the Spring Blossoms Sew Along.

We will be sewing an element of the quilt every week for 8 weeks total.

The quilt finishes at 35" x 35".

This week is all about preparing to sew and planning what your quilt will look like.

Ok, are you ready to get started?  Here we go!

I have created a to do list and schedule for the sew along, as well as a coloring page to plan your quilt.  You can find it [HERE]

*If you haven't done so already, you will need a copy of my Book Super Cute Paper Piecing.*
It is available at Martingale, Amazon, Fat Quarter Shop, and you can get a signed copy in my Etsy shop.

*Print out the Patterns*

You will need to copy the following patterns from the pattern sheet in the book:

1) Daisies - We are going to be making three daisies.
Photo copy 18 E -  Daisy Fabric Bowl Petal
Photo copy 1  D (this piece can be re-used 2 more times.)
Photo copy 3  C - Daisy Bowl Fabric Center.

2) Butterfly
Photo copy the butterfly pattern pieces A - E

3) Rain drops
Make 3 copies of rain drop A, A1- A11.
Add 1/4" seam allowance on the top and bottom edges.

4) Watering can
Enlarge the watering can pattern pieces A,B,C, & D by 125%
Once the pieces are copied, measure along the finished edge of the pattern by 1/4" for
an accurate seam allowance.  (Enlarging the pattern increases the seam allowance slightly)

*My favorite way to keep my patterns organized is by keeping each type in plastic sheet protector sleeves.*

*Fabric Requirements*
Follow the fabric requirements in the book for the daisy, butterfly, & raindrop.

For the Watering can block:
 F8 each -  background, Aqua print 1, and Aqua Print 2.
Yellow stripes on watering can - 5" x 5"

The following are additional fabrics you will need:

Border Pinwheels ~ 2 7/8" squares
~16 Yellow print 1
~16 yellow print 2
~16 pink
~16 red
~4 aqua print 1
~4 aqua print 2
~72 light ground

Background - 1 yard

1/2" Binding - 4 1/4 yards

*Picking Fabrics*

I have lots of tips for picking fabrics for paper piecing.  Click on the link [HERE] for a link to a fabric selection tutorial I created.  It will help with color, scale of prints and the value of the fabrics you choose for the quilt.

Be sure to use the hashtag #SpringBlossomsSewAlong when you post your photos on social media. I love to see what you make!

See you again next Monday, April 9th,  and we will start by sewing the Watering Can.

Enjoy!
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Spring Blossoms Sew Along Starts Monday

I am excited to start the Spring Blossoms Sew Along.

It was created as a fun way to use the blocks in my book "Super Cute Paper Piecing", to make

a cheery Spring Time quilt.

To get you started, I created an E-book to help you pick fabrics for your paper pieced blocks.

You can find it on the Spring Blossoms Sew Along page [HERE]

Next week is all about getting prepared.  Printing patterns, selecting fabric and I even include a coloring page to help with the planning.

See you on Monday!

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

The Purse Clasp Book Sew Along ~ all together!

I have been a busy bee and have missed writing on the blog!

Today I wanted to share my clasp purses from the Purse Clasp Sew Along. 

The Sew Along was hosted by eliseandemelie.com and you can find more info HERE

Each and every Clasp Purse was such fun to make!

The first clasp purse I made was the strawberry clasp purse.  

The Strawberry pattern is from my book "Super Cute Paper Piecing".

The book comes with two clasps and this purse was made with one of them.

You can find the book and extra clasp hardware at Zakka Workshop on Etsy.

The second clasp purse was made using my nine patch coaster pattern you can find here.

The third clasp purse has my dresses paper piecing pattern for the focal point.

You can find the pattern for the dress in my book "Super Cute Paper Piecing".

The dress for the clasp purse was reduced to 45% of the original pattern!

The dress on the right is from the book and is 9" tall.

Last, but not least is the hexagon clasp purse.

It is so small that it fits in the palm of my hand!

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise