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

I'd Rather be Glamping!

"I'd Rather be Glamping" is a new line of fabric from Riley Blake Designs created by Dani Mogstad.

When I saw the fabric I knew it would be perfect for my Macaroon Pouch.

The fabrics are absolutely adorable!

My husband and I have talked about getting a cute little trailer for camping trips and I want one just like this.  I definitely need that cute bicycle too.

I used Riley Blake fabrics 1/2" and 1/4" Woven Gingham in color Navy for the pouch borders.

The pouches have different prints on each side. 

For the smaller pouch, I used the "Cream Fruit " and "Mini Campers" with the 1/4" navy gingham.

I happen to have the cherry ribbon to add a cute detail to the side of the pouch.

(Search "cherry ribbon" on Etsy to find similar ribbon)

Similar zippers can be found at Sunnydaysupply.com and Polka Dot Secrets on Etsy.

I will definitely be Glamping in style when I use this pouches on my camping trips this Summer : ) 

Be sure to head on over to the Riley Blake blog to see more fun projects from their latest fabric lines.

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

Summer Quilt for "Quilts and More"

(Image Used with permission from Quilts & More™ magazine. ©2019 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.)

I am super excited to share the latest mini quilt I designed for the magazine "Quilts and More".

This Summer themed mini quilt is the second of four seasonal quilts.

The issue is filled with adorable projects and definitely a must buy.

You can find more info about the issue at the Quilts and More website [HERE]

You can find the Summer issue of Quilts and More magazine on newsstands this Friday!

Each block is paper pieced and they are perfect for small projects as well as the mini quilt.

The project bag on the right was made with my Ice Cream Cone Block.

If you are new to paper piecing, I have a beginning paper piecing  pattern and tutorial [HERE]

(Image Used with permission from Quilts & More™ magazine. ©2019 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.)

All the fabrics for this quilt are from Riley Blake Fabrics.

You can find the fabric details at the bottom of this post.

I am looking forward to making more projects with these Summer themed blocks!

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

Background - Swiss Dot on White - Aqua
Borders - “Serendipity Strawberries” by Minki Kim - Aqua 
Corner Blocks - “Gretel” Heart Yellow by Amy Smart
Binding - White Swiss Dot on Raspberry

Sunglasses -
Lenses - “Seaside” Main White by Tasha Noel 
Frames - White Swiss Dot on Peacock

Vintage Swimsuit -
Yellow Swimsuit Fabric - “Gretel” Wreath Yellow by Amy Smart 
Red Dot - White Swiss Dot on Red

Beach Umbrella
Pink Print - “Gretel” Lattice Pink by Amy Smart 
Red Dot - White Swiss Dot on Red
Brown Dot - White Swiss Dot on Nutmeg

Ice Cream Cone
Pink Print - “Bake Sale 2” Cherry Pink by Lori Holt
Pink Gingham - 1/8” Small Gingham Check Hot Pink
Brown Gingham - “Sew Cherry 2” Nutmeg gingham by Lori Holt

Vintage Dresses Pattern

Hope you are having a lovely day!

The sun is shining though it is cold here in Seattle.  My favorite weather - sunny and brisk!

I have been updating one of my favorite patterns - Vintage Dresses.

The Cap sleeve dresses are now revised.  

The design is exactly the same but the pattern has less pieces! 

You can find the pattern in my Etsy shop.

Did you know the bodice and skirt portions are interchangeable?
They are!

I had fun coloring these up - so many options : )

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

Happy February!

Hi Peeps!

Happy February!

I designed this fun Fussy Cut Heart last year.  

If you follow my blog, you know how much I love fussy cutting!

This pattern is the perfect fussy cutting project.   If you need some help to learn this technique, you can find my Fussy Cutting tutorial [HERE] 

I also have a video tutorial on the Martingale blog [HERE]

The block would make an adorable quilt.  

It is also great for small projects like this Macaroon Pouch with a fussy cut heart as the focal point.  (I shrunk the fussy cut heart to fit the center of the pouch)

You can find the pattern for my Fussy Cut Heart and Macaroon Pouch in my Etsy shop [HERE]

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

Vintage Spool Pattern

  Hello!

Today I'm sharing my new pattern - Vintage Spools.

It is a fun pattern and is made with squares and rectangle, no templates needed!

Each Spool is 3" finished or combine 4 spools and you have a cute 6" block.

I had fun finding the perfect fabrics to fussy cut for the thread portion!

If you'd like to have a copy of my Vintage Spools pattern, just sign up for my

Newsletter.  You can find the sign up to the right of this post.

I love to see what you make.  If you post to any social media sites, please use the hashtag #ChariseCreates so I can see you creations.

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

Spring Mini Quilt in Quilts and More

Used with permission from Quilts & More™ magazine.
©2019 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

Hi and Happy Wednesday!

I hope you are having a good week so far.

I have been working on a project for months that I can finally share.

Quilts and More has asked me to design four seasonal themed mini quilts!  

The first "Festive Foundations" quilt is Spring themed and includes three fun blocks. 

Used with permission from Quilts & More™ magazine. ©2019 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

 The blocks include the tulip, butterfly and bird house and are all foundation paper pieced.

The individual blocks would also be perfect to use on individual projects such as a tote bag or pillow.

This project uses fabrics from my stash with some fun fussy cutting opportunities.

If you haven't paper pieced before, check out his video from Joanna at Quilts and More as she takes you through the process.  

She also shares my method of Fussy Cutting so you can perfectly isolate a motif as I did for the cherry center on the tulip.

Used with permission from Quilts & More™ magazine. ©2019 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

Physical copies are on newsstands until April 19th and you can also get the digital issue [HERE]

Happy Sewing!

Charise

Happy New Year!

Happy New Years Eve!

I have spent the day in my studio cleaning and organizing, hoping a clean studio will help me

prioritize my work in 2019.

And of course I had to find out my Best Nine photos on Instagram for 2018 : )

I love all these photos but thought it would be fun to pick some of my favorites. 

Here are my favorites:

From top left clockwise, center picture last

1) Dress pattern from my book "Super Cute Paper Piecing" 

2) Baby Patchwork Zipper pouch which is a free tutorial on the blog 

3) Windmill paper pieced pattern which I hope to have in my Etsy shop soon! 

4)  Watering can from my book "Super Cute Paper Piecing".  

This is part of my Spring Blossoms Sew Along. 

5) Purse clasp sew along projects 

6)Apron from my book "Super Cute Paper Piecing" 

7) Macaroon Pouch with my Apple pattern from "Super Cute Paper Piecing" 

8) A new pattern - Summertime Fruit  

9) Mini Hexie Flower for one of my clasp pure for the Purse Clasp Sew Along

Thanks for a lovely 2018!

Here's to a wonderful 2019.

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

Apple Pouch - a new pattern

 Hello!

Christmas is just around the corner and I am finishing up Holiday preparations.

I will be making Christmas cookies this weekend and doing a bit of last minute shopping.

I created this apple pouch as a gift and I am offering the pattern for sale in my 

Etsy shop.  It is an easy make and a fun gift if you have a bit of time to do some holiday gift sewing.

Another fun project to use up fabrics from your scrap stash, the squares are just 2"!

I also made this cute little apple needle book that goes so well with the pouch.

I modified this pattern from the book Heart Felt Holidays. 

Here is a picture of the back.  I used a fancy zipper found on Etsy, but it would be equally

as cute with a coil zipper and fun zipper pull.

 I will leave you with a few pictures of my favorite Christmas tradition - cutting down our Christmas tree.

Every year we go up to the mountains and cut down our tree and this year the weather was beautiful!

Lots of snow and sunny to boot.  It couldn't have been more perfect!

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

Holiday Gift Sewing ~ Lavender Sachets

I have been doing lots of sewing the past week!

  

 Trying to get as many Holiday gifts sewn as possible!

I used some Liberty florals, text prints and some button from my stash.

You can find the tutorial [HERE]

with a link to purchase lavender buds for the project.

Happy Sewing!

xo

Charise

Holiday Gift Sewing ~ Scrappy Patchwork Coasters

Hello!  Hope you week is going well.

I have been in Holiday sewing mode and thought it would be fun to share a free pattern with you.

I designed the coasters pictured above last year as a way to use some of my favorite scraps of fabric.

It is a quick make and pairs nicely with a cute mug filled with goodies for a lovely Holiday gift.

The pattern includes instructions for both a 9 patch version and a 16 patch version.

You can find the pattern [HERE] on my original blog post

I like to make my own bias tape to finish off the coasters.  You can find my instructions for making bias tape [HERE]

If you make a coaster or two, please use the hashtag #ChariseCreates and #ScrappyPatchworkCoasters so I can see you makes.

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise

A new project

Hi Peeps

I have been woefully absent here and I plan to make more time for this space.

I just finished a 4 month design contract at a local Seattle clothing company so I haven't spent much time in my studio.

My goal this week is to create a schedule for myself ( I definitely get more done with a bit of structure! )

Getting to the gym, creating home cooked meals and spending time with my boys as well as sewing daily is on my list of to dos for the upcoming months!

I spent a bit of time organizing files on my computer and found this gorgeous pattern designed by Lady Harvatine.   She created it for the LA Modern Quilt Guild.

The fabrics are from Art Gallery fabrics - "Sonata" by Amy Sinabaldi.  I adore this fabric line and treated myself to a FQ set.

I hope you find time to do something you love today.

Happy Sewing

xo

Charise : )

Cyber Week Sale at Charise Creates on Etsy

Hi There!

I wanted to let you know that I am discounting all items in my Etsy shop by 25%!

The sale starts tomorrow and ends Friday.

You can find patterns

and my book "Super Cute Paper Piecing" all for 25% off.

A great time to buy a new pattern if you are planning on sewing  holiday gifts.

See you soon : )

Happy Sewing
Charise