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?

Finally sewing again!

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Cherie

So I took a break from sewing . . . a 22 day break (who’s counting ;))

But now I’m back!

And my first project is this reversible spring coat that I made for iCandy Handmade’s Basic Bodice Series. You can catch the full tutorial over there!

The idea behind the Basic Bodice Series is that if you have a great bodice pattern and know how to alter the pattern or add some embellishments, the possibilities are endless in terms of what you can create. So this coat, and all the other projects from series guests, started with a basic bodice pattern. You probably already have one in your pattern collection. In my tutorial I’ll show you how to alter your pattern to make a reversible coat!

They also have a linky party going on right now for all of you who want to share YOUR basic bodice creations. So if you’ve ever used a bodice pattern to make something, link it up here and your outfit might be featured at the end of the series!

I still can’t believe I cut into my Nani Iro Metallic Pocho for this coat. This stuff is GORGEOUS (and not cheap)! But it feels good to just go for it sometimes, and I think it paid off this time. Yuki looks pretty darn cute in her fancy coat 🙂 And I wish you could see the subtle shimmer of these dots! Man, it’s beautiful. I really think the next time I sew with Nani Iro, I need to make something for me!

Anyways, it feels good to be back at the machine. I’ve got lots of fun things coming up, so it’s time for me to get busy!

But for today, please hop on over to iCandy handmade to check out my tutorial and say hi!

Thanks 🙂

Guest Post: Flashback Friday

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Cherie

So now that I’m back to blogging, the first thing I wanted to share with you was that I was a guest over at Sew Much Ado last Friday for her super fun series, Flashback Friday!

In this series, Abby invites guests to take a look back and share stories from their past either about how they started sewing, maybe a cherished family heirloom, relative who inspired them to sew, or even an epic sewing fail from the past.

So if you want to hear my story, see a pictures of Princess Cherie or my high school prom pic, plus some of my first few dresses I made for Yuki, go on over to Sew Much Ado. I personally love reading these posts and can’t wait to hear more stories from my favorite bloggers in weeks to come.

Later this week I hope to share some handmade gifts and a dress that’d be perfect for the holidays, if you’re still looking for some last minute sewing inspiration 🙂

My Best Friend at Sew Together

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Cherie

Hello! I took an unexpected break from the blog and sewing (I haven’t sewed a stitch in over two weeks – yikes)! It’s officially back to school time over here and that is one of the busiest times of the year for me. I’m itching to get back to sewing and blogging (I have sooo many projects lined up), but it might be another week or so before I get my head back above water. How about you? Is this a crazy time of the year?

But I did want to tell you about a series that is going on right now on the Sew Together blog. Caroline and Maryanne have invited some bloggers to share about their best sewing friend – “a pattern, a tool, a technique, a blog, a hint or a person who inspires you to sew.”

Head over there to get a peek at my sewing/crafting space and find out what I consider to be my best sewing friends . . . I certainly couldn’t do it without them!!

While you’re over there, you should also check out the guests they’ve already had and continue checking back over the next couple of weeks for some fantastic bloggers sharing about their best friends every few days.

I also just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you readers for always supporting me and giving me inspiration! You make blogging so much fun! I’ll be back as soon as possible to share some fun stuff I’ve been working on and some of the things I’ve got on my to do list. Thanks for stopping by! Happy sewing!

Black & White Mobile at Nap Time Crafters

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Cherie

Today I’m guest posting a tutorial for this Black & White Infant Mobile over at Nap Time Crafters for Amy’s Bundle of Joy series. There have been some amazing guests throughout this series sharing advice for parents as well as tutorials for baby things. And today I get to join the bunch so please head over there and check it out!

In other news, my Painted Purple outfit was featured on Freshly Pressed today! It’s basically the main page for WordPress and it’s such a thrilling honor. If you’re coming over via Freshly Pressed today, thanks so much for stopping by!! 🙂

I’ll be around later this week for my Vintage May guest post. Have you been following along with all the amazing vintage and vintage-inspired looks!? CINO and Skirt as Top have rounded up some truly awesome guests and their posts have not disappointed! Check in on Thursday for my post 🙂

Happy Monday everyone!

Spring Fling on this heArt of mine

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Cherie

Today I’m over at this heArt of mine for Amy’s Spring Fling series! Yesterday was officially the first day of spring and it could not come soon enough! I’m ready for sunshine and picnics and flowers! Amy has lined up some great spring projects of all sorts, so hop on over and check it out!

I’m sharing a sewing project that I’m REALLY EXCITED about. It’s a simple, reversible circle skirt – easy, fun, and TWO skirts in one! I call it the April Showers Skirt – one side is gray and cloudy and the other is bright and floral. April showers bring May flowers!

My favorite part is how the bright print peeks out under the cloudy gray side! So please pop on over to this heArt of mine for Spring Fling to see how to make your own April Showers Skirt!

Nesting with Delia – my first guest post!

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Cherie

Good morning!!! Guess where I am today!? That’s right, I’m doing a guest post, and not just anywhere, but for Delia from Delia Creates!

I’m am so honored and thrilled to be an add-on to her fantastic Nesting series with my spin on fabric wall decals. Delia’s blog is one of my absolute favorites and you’ll see why if you take a few minutes to browse around. I guarantee, you’ll be hooked!