***2019***

2019  was a busy and wonderful year! Here is a recap of what has been going on around here : )         I was able to share the Festive Foundation Quilts I designed for Quilts and More Magazine.

Each quilt is seasonal and all the blocks are paper pieced.  

Each block can also be used for individual projects such as a project bag which I made with my ice cream cone block from the Summer Quilt.

I will be listing each individual block in my Etsy shop this month.  Stay tuned! 

I added some new paper pieced patterns to my Etsy shop.

I also designed a template pattern - no paper piecing.  The cottage block which comes in a 6" and 12" block.   It can also be found in my Etsy Shop 
The pouch in the bottom pic is a Tink Along pouch made with the 6" block.

I created this fun little spool block as a free pattern when you sign up for my newsletter!
The sign up is on the right side of my blog.

I made these fun little pin cushion as gifts for some of my sewing friends.

I have some new patterns in the works which I am excited to finish this year!

I have a new pattern series that will be cottages with a theme.                                                       The first will be sewing, of course! : )

A new version of my Vintage Dresses Pattern is in the works - Vintage Dresses 2!

I still have lots of Works in Progress and hope to make a dent in finishing these quilts this year.

The best part of the year was an amazing trip my family took to France.  It was such a wonderful experience.  Both my husband and I have traveled to Europe but not my boys.

They are at the perfect age - 12 & 16 -  so we decided now was the time.

Wishing you all the best for the upcoming year!
xo
Charise

My Happy Place!

 

Riley Blake Designs sent me a new fabric collection from Lori Holt of "A bee in my Bonnet".  It is called My Happy Place and is the most adorable sewing themed collection.

The fabric is a little bit heavier than quilting cotton in a very subtle twill weave.  It lends itself perfectly to quilting, home dec and accessory projects.

I made the basket tote from a free pattern by Sew Can She.  I love the way it turned out! 

I opted for the zippered version and lined it with  "Floral Cottage" from the collection.  It is a gorgeous floral, that works perfectly with the other prints in the collection.  

I also used the floral to cover the chair in the pic! 

The possibilities for projects with this adorable fabric is endless!!!

I can't wait to see what you make with "My Happy Place" fabric.

Be sure to tag your creations on social media with the hashtag #MyHappyPlaceFabric and #RileyBlakeDesigns 

 Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

Vintage Happy 2

Riley Blake sent me the most adorable new collection from Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet.

The prints are adorable and include florals and ditzies as well as fabulous text prints.

I have been planning what I would make for a few weeks now.

Can you tell what it is?  The shape is basically a rectangle with rounded corners.

The background fabric is Linen in color Aqua Teal, The binding is 1/8" Aqua Gingham and the adorable red lace is also designed by Lori.  All are from Riley Blake Designs.

I opted to make my own bias binding which is super duper easy and a great way to personalize your projects.

I even have a tutorial to make your own bias binding [HERE]

If you guessed sewing machine cover, you are correct!

It also doubles as a sewing mat and I will keep my seam ripper and scissors in the pockets!

Be sure and head over to the Riley Blake Blog to see some inspirational sewing projects.

And please tag you photos on social media with the hashtags #RileyBlakeDesigns & #VintageHappy2fabric

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

Adrienne Blouse in Designer Knits

Riley Blake sent me this beautiful Fabric -  "Something Borrowed Petals Navy" in stretch jersey knit designed by Christopher from The Tattooed quilter.  I decided to make the Adrienne blouse by Friday Pattern Company.  I love how it turned out!

The print is the cutest sketchy floral with  "Love" text scattered in the print.  And it you look closely at the picture, the "Love" is perfectly positioned at the center front of the blouse.  A happy accident indeed!  The cotton knit has a nice soft hand and is a dream to sew with!  

Be sure to check out the Riley Blake Blog for more adorable and inspiring projects! 

Please tag your photos on Social media with the hashtags #RileyBlakeDesigns & #SomethingBorrowedFabric so we can see your amazing work! 

Happy Sewing

xo Charise 

Buffalo Check Square Neck top

Riley Blake sent me this adorable cotton knit Buffalo check fabric.  I chose the red and black because I thought it would make a cute top for me : )  

Buffalo checks are pretty hot right now,  in interiors and also in fashion.
I created this collage as a little inspiration of all the things you can make in buffalo check fabric.  

I opted to make this cute Square neck top from Friday Pattern company.

The fabric is so soft and easy to sew with.  The Square neck top pattern is fabulous and I will definitely make more of these.

The Buffalo check is designed by Simple Simon and Company and is available in three different color combos.

Be sure to head on over to the Riley Blake site to see all the gorgeous Designer Knits!

Be sure to tag your photos with #RileyBlakeDesigns if you share your creations on social media.

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

Cottage Pillow With Flower Market Fabric!

🏠I had the fun opportunity to make a cute project with Riley Blake Designs Flower Market Fabric by Jen Allyson (@jen.allyson on Instagram).

  This line of fabric is perfect for fussy cutting.  The collection includes the most adorable dot/text print which I used for the windows door and house trim.

The color palette is lovely! Such a beautiful Springy Palette.  

I bound and backed the pillow with a beautiful coral gingham from the collection.  The pillow was made with my Cottage Pattern you can find in my Etsy shop  - ChariseCreates.  

Please use the hashtags #rileyblakedesigns   #FlowerMarketFabric   #ChariseCreates  if you share a project on social media.

Be sure to head on over to the Riley Blake Blog for more super cute and inspiring projects!

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

Vintage Dresses and Sugar House Park!

I had the pleasure of making a little something with the new fabric line "Sugar House Park" from Riley Blake Fabric and designed by Amy Smart.

My Vintage Dresses were a perfect match for this adorable fabric!

The line consists of the sweetest florals and that fun floral dot that I used for the dresses.

Sugar house Park also includes a plaid, more florals, a ticking stripe and dot.

I have been working on making more dresses and plan on making a Vintage Dresses quilt.

I can't wait to make more dresses with this adorable fabric!

You can find more info about the fabric on the Riley Blake website [HERE].

You can find the Vintage Dresses paper piecing pattern in my Etsy Shop [HERE].

If you share your projects made with Riley Blake Fabric, be sure to use the hashtags #ILoveRileyBlake

#RileyBlakeDesigns

#SugarHouseParkFabric

@RileyBlakeDesigns

I love to see what you create!

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise 

Riley Blake National Parks - Mt Rainier Quilt

I am so thrilled to be sharing a quilt I made with Riley Blakes National Parks Panel - Mt. Rainier.  My son loves the outdoors & hiking, and every summer we make a trip to Mt. Rainier. 

I made this quilt for his birthday and I love the way it turned out.  The border is a cotton/linen solid color Dark Gray also from Riley Blake Fabrics.  I bound the quilt with a vibrant solid -Riley Blake Confetti Cotton in color Riley Teal. 

The beautiful baptist diamonds all-over quilting was done by The Hen House Quilting. Ashley, the owner of The Hen House Quilting, suggested the quilting pattern and I love it! 
It mimics the shape of a mountain and the cream thread stands out against the dark grey border nicely.  

You can find more info on the National Parks fabric panels on the Riley website - and see more fun projects on their blog [HERE] 

Be sure to tag your project on social media with the hashtags #nationalparksfabric, #rileyblakedesigns, #iloverileyblake, and tag @rileyblakedesigns.

Happy Sewing
xo
Charise

Flutter and Shine Fabric

I had the awesome opportunity to work with a new fabric line from Riley Blake Fabrics.

The line of fabric is called "Flutter and Shine" and is designed by Melanie Colette.  The prints are super cute with lots of butterflies and strawberries.  The prints are perfect for fussy cutting.  

If you are unfamiliar with fussy cutting, click [HERE] for a video tutorial.

The fabrics are so adorable I couldn't make just one project, but decided to make three!

My FREE Baby Patchwork Pouch pattern was the perfect project for this fabric line.  There are so many cute fussy cutting opportunities.  You can find the fun zipper pull at Sunny Day Fabric.

Link to the FREE "Baby Patchwork Pouch" pattern is [HERE]

Since we have a butterfly theme going on,  I just had to make my Butterfly Paper Piecing Pattern and use it as the center panel on my Macaroon Pouch.  Both patterns can be found in my Etsy shop.           (I reduced the butterfly pattern to 80% of the original to fit on the pouch)

The background dot, yellow dot, and woven gingham fabric I used for the pouch are from Riley Blake Fabrics as well. 

The Swiss Dot can be found [HERE] (this a go to fabric for backgrounds on many of my projects) and the 1/4" Red Woven gingham can be found [HERE]

Last but not least, I made these cute strawberry pincushions!  The pattern can be found at Down Grapevine Lane.  I filled them with ground walnut shells which you can find online. The lavender scented walnut shell filling 

for my strawberries was found on Amazon.com.

Be sure to head on over to the Riley Blake Fabrics blog to see all the fun projects made with Flutter and Shine!

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

National Parks Fabric from Riley Blake

Happy Tuesday!

I had the awesome opportunity to use Riley Blakes's National Parks fabric by Anderson Design Group to make some fun summer projects.

The fabrics are gorgeous and the artwork is lovely with a vintage look.

I used the National Parks pillow panels to make two 20" pillows.  They were a quick and easy make!

The border is National Parks Green Signs which I also used for the back of the pillow.
The pillow edge has piping which I purchased at my local quilt shop.  One package is just the perfect amount for one pillow.

I also made some fun coasters with the National Parks posters fabric and they are borders with the National Parks Cream Signs fabric. 

 Each of these little posters is 3" x 4",  so they are the perfect size for these coasters.

They are finished with a narrow bias binding which I also purchased at my local fabric store. 

Be sure to head on over to Riley Blake to see all the beautiful fabrics in the National Parks Collection!

Vintage Swimsuit

Hi and Happy Wednesday!

I am ready for Summer and thought it would be fun to make the Vintage Swimsuit block from my

Summer Quilt in the latest issue of Quilts and More.

I have been trying to finish some of my Works in Progress and thought the swimsuit block would be perfect for my "Bon Voyage" Cocorico Traveling Bee Quilt.

If you are interested in making any of the blocks from my Summer Mini Quilt

head on over to the American and Patchwork site [HERE]

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise