Four Seasons Irome Pillows

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Cherie

When I got a chance to play with Irome, the new fabric collection from Kokka, I was inspired to try some quilty things. And I’m sharing the two pillow covers I made over on the Kokka blog today!

I was inspired by the four seasons, represented by four different colorways, but I totally screwed up and got my seasons in the wrong order! Oops! 😛 You can read all about it and more details about the fabric and pillows here.

Special shout out to Jessica, super quilt master mentor, who helped me figure out how to quilt the pillow cover above. I don’t quilt often, but I had a ton of fun with these and I’m excited to try more! Maybe improv next?

Oh! And next week is Sew Mama Sew’s Giveaway Day and I’m going to be giving away one of these pillow covers to a reader, so be sure to check back in for that!

And if you haven’t entered the Happy Homemade: Sew Chic Kids giveaway yet to win a Japanese sewing book translated to English, you have till Friday evening! Don’t wait!

Ok – Kokka blog. Go now.

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Birds Eye Everyday Skirt

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Cherie

Hey! Enjoying your weekend!? Hop on over to Miss Matatabi to check out my new skirt made from some goooorgeous Nani Iro Birds Eye fabric. Can you tell I’m getting ready for spring??

Miss Matatabi is my favorite online source for Nani Iro and other fantastic fabrics from Japan. Seriously, check it out. I just spent way too much time drooling over all of the new stuff she’s been adding to her shop. IT’S SO GOOD. If you don’t know, now you know.

You’re welcome.

Anyways, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen a tiny preview of this skirt and the injury I sustained while making it. It was totally worth it though! Head on over to my guest post to catch all of the details of this skirt.

And enjoy whatever is left of your weekend!

KNITerview on Made by Rae

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Cherie

Hey! Have you following along the KNITerview series on Made by Rae?

It’s a really informational series all about KNITS – how to pick them, where to get them, and how to sew them – and today I’m over there as a guest! I was admittedly a total knit-phobe when I first started sewing and I sometimes still get a little anxiety about it. But over the last year I’ve really learned a lot about sewing with knits, so I’m happy to be sharing a little bit about my experiences in an interview style post.

Now knits are my fabric of choice when it comes to garment sewing. Nothing can beat the comfort and ease. So head on over to check out my KNITerview with Rae.

And I’m off to try and get a little sewing done. With knits, of course 😛

Confetti Sparkle for the Holidays (Part 1)

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Cherie

Dear Stella recently came out with a new line of fabric called Confetti Sparkle, cotton in bold colors with metallic gold dots. When I saw it I swooned! And when Dear Stella contacted me asking if I wanted some of their gorgeous fabric to sew with, I may have jumped for joy! Um, yes please! I chose two of their Confetti Sparkle fabrics, Navy and Cream and immediately started dreaming up the holiday outfits I wanted to make.

First up is this dress I made for Yuki that I’m sharing today on the Dear Stella blog. I love that this fabric has automatic glam without having to use a tricky to sew fabric or something that I can’t just throw in the wash. And with the variety of color choices, you’re not just limited to the upcoming holidays – it can be used for any special occasion, any time of the year!

So head over to the Dear Stella blog for more pictures and details of this dress and then next week I’ll be sharing the dress I made for Kaya and top that I made for ME! Confetti Sparkle all the things!

*EDIT: Ooooh, I’m totally in love with this gorgeous Confetti Sparkle Geranium Dress that Kristin at skirt as top made! Check it out!*

Dear Stella Confetti Sparkle can be purchased at Drygoods Design, fabric.com or Hawthorne Fabrics.

Are you making any special holiday wear this year?

Flip this Pattern: My Sunki Flip

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Cherie

Hey! Have you been following along the awesome year long series, Flip This Pattern, hosted by the ladies of the Frances Suzanne blog?

Well this month the featured pattern is the Sunki Dress and Leggings by Figgy’s and I’m the last of four contributors sharing my “flip.” Here’s a peek of the cozy autumn hoodie I made for Yuki.

Head over to Frances Suzanne to check out more pictures of my Sunki remix! And starting tomorrow (Friday, October 25th), you can take a look at all 4 of the flips and vote on your favorite one!!

See ya on the flip side! 😛

When We Were Young

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Cherie

It was nice to hear from some of you after my last post, and know that I’m not the only one who totally missed the KCW boat. Seems like summer is a time when a lot of us slow down our sewing a bit, and for good reason! I personally have been loving the extra time off to enjoy my summer and relax a bit. Especially since we’re gearing up for welcoming baby #2 this September. I have a feeling that “extra time” and “relax” will not be a part of my vocabulary for some time after that!

ANYWAYS, I’m here to tell you that I got a chance to participate in sewpony‘s super fun series, “When We Were Young” and my post is now up, so go check it out! We were asked to recreate an outfit of ours from when we were a kid for our own kid. Seriously, it was SO. MUCH. FUN going through old photos and trying to find the perfect one to make for Yuki. So to give you a little peek – here’s the outfit I was inspired by.

If you want to see the version I made for Yuki, you’ll have to hop on over to sewpony! I’m also thinking about posting a tutorial for that little pinafore, so check back in for that next week.

Be sure to take a look at the other guest posts that have already gone up (click here and then scroll down to the list of guests and Suz has linked up the previous posts there) – they have all been so amazing! And then check back weekly for a new post from her awesome line-up of guests.

AND if you want to join in the fun – find an outfit from your own childhood and recreate it for your child and then add it to the When We Were Young flickr group!

Thanks for stopping by!

These Are A Few of My Fave Handmade Things

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Cherie

Today I’m sharing some faves over on Sanae Ishida’s lovely blog. A little while back she asked a few bloggers to share what one (or a few) of our own favorite creations of all time are. So you wanna know what my favorite handmade creation of all time is? Want to know what my daughter’s favorite is? How about you readers – what do you think is the most popular post on my site? Head over to Sanae Ishida to find out!!

And I’d love to know . . . do you have a favorite?

Geranium in Feathers!

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Cherie

Kids Clothing Week Spring 2013 is starting in a few days and Meg invited me to share my favorite pattern over on the KCW blog as part of the weeklong wind up. I chose the Geranium Dress/Tunic pattern by Made by Rae. There aren’t a lot of patterns that I make more than once, but this one is so classic that I find myself coming back to it again and again. You can see my full review and my past Geraniums over on the KCW blog.

And in honor of the post, I made a fun new tunic for Yuki!

There are a ton of different variations of this top you can make, but I decided to go with something simple – sleeveless tunic, scoop neck, and a gathered skirt – since I had chosen such a busy print.

I bought this feather print by Martha Negley awhile back from Stonemountain and Daughter because I loved it, though I wasn’t sure what I was going to use it for. One of the great things about the Geranium pattern is how much you can change it up – pick a detailed print and keep the style simple, or choose a simple fabric and really play up the details.

The tunic bodice is lined with some aqua fabric that I had in my stash and I made some piping to match. The back closes with three blue buttons, which I realize now are totally crooked! Oops! 😛

I love this pattern!! And now that the weather is warming up, it’s the perfect time to fill someone’s lil wardrobe with Geraniums!

Have you started planning or prepping for next week? I’ve barely had a chance to think about it, but my goals are to not buy any new fabric and to sew with patterns I already own. We’ll see what I come up with!

So what are you going to be sewing next week for KCW??

Calling All Kids!

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Cherie

First of all, I just have to say that I am soooo thrilled with the response I’ve gotten about the upcoming Japanese Sewing Book Series! I was a little nervous making the announcement – this being my first series and all – I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it and planning and I just wasn’t sure if people would be into it at all. But it seems like I am not the only one drawn to, but intimidated by, Japanese patterns and sewing books! So I’m excited to learn more and conquer our fear of Japanese sewing books together with the help of our 5 talented guest instructors (see the line up here). The fun starts next week with a great giveaway and a little pre-party to get ourselves ready and then the actual series will run from March 25-29. I seriously CANNOT wait!

For today, I’m over at Alida Makes with a guest post for her Calling All Kids series. Calling All Kids is about pushing against gender stereotypes in clothing and finding ways to make awesome and stylish clothes for kids that don’t necessarily conform to those stereotypes. Who says girls have to wear pink? Or that boys can’t? Why can’t boys’ clothing have flowers, or girls’ clothing have superheroes?

Trying to break stereotypes is just part of who I am and so I thought this series was a pretty awesome idea. If you know Yuki, you know that she wears boyish/unisex clothes all the time. It’s a reflection of my partner’s style and my own, but it’s also a conscious decision we make because of how we want to raise her. It’s a topic that I feel pretty strongly about, so if you’re interested, you can read more about it in my guest post on Alida Makes.

You can also check out more silly pictures of this kid wearing a new button up shirt for the spring and summer and a pair of pants I made from an old thrift store find.

SOOOOO . . . .

What are you looking at!? Head over THERE and check it out!

A Winter White Project

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Cherie

Hello! Today I’m over at Kojo Designs sharing a project for their Winter Whites series that they are co-hosting with Delia of Delia Creates. These ladies also host of one of my favorite series, Color Your Summer, and as a companion, they came up with a series to celebrate wintery whites and neutrals.

So check out my tutorial for a Metallic Feather Pillow and how to carve your own stamps and print them on fabric.

Be sure to check out all the Winter White wonderfulness that has been going on at Delia Creates as well 🙂

And my question for you is . . .

Now that I have these three hand carved feather stamps, what what WHAT should I do with them next?! They can be used on fabric or paper. I can imagine linen napkins, maybe some article of clothing? Wall art? What would you want to see these images on?

you and mie

let's make things

Category Archives: guest post