So Carla and I have been crazy busy trying to finalize the fall line up of new patterns, and it is killing me not to spill the beans about all the fun things we have in store for you.

There has been a lot of test sewing as we try to get everything just right. Usually, when we make up the first few drafts, we use the ugliest fabrics from our stash. Only as we get closer to the end product do we start dipping into the “good stuff”.

I thought I would share a little vintage piece that Carla found a while back that she used in a recent garment, paired with a delicious chocolate velvet.  This print definitely falls into the category of “I wish I had 10 more yards of it”.  It is so simple, yet fun.

Do you have any fabric in your collection that you wish you had more of?

I also wanted to share this French video on the European linen industry that I discovered via Elsa Mora.  It is a bit long (15 minutes or so), but so well worth it.  Soft music, wonderful French and Italian narration with soft imagery, it is a lovely cinematic piece.  A nice way to start your morning with a cup of tea in hand, I should think.

BE LINEN MOVIE from Benoit MILLOT on Vimeo.

Happy weekend everyone!

What’s Charlotte liking this week? Find out each Tuesday–or Wednesday when she’s running a little behind–as she spots trends and captures a little slice of goodness from Pinterest.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
I’ve been biking to the grocery store this summer, trying to reduce my carbon paw prints. Care to join me on a weekly ride? This week’s finds are certain to make you look styling on or off your cycle.

Sources: /one/ Bike helmet found via /two/ Public C7 Bike found via various /three/ Bike bag found via /four/ Letterpress stationery found via /five/ Book Club Embroidery Set found via

Want to see even more of what Charlotte is looking at this week?

I probably don’t have to tell most of you, but today is HOT.  As in, so hot you could fry an egg on the dashboard of my car.  Not surprisingly, I don’t have much sewing or crafting to show for it right now.

For the foreseeable future, the kids and I are holed up in our bedrooms with the AC units blasting, trying to stay occupied until cooler weather prevails.  Please help me remember this moment when next January rolls around and I am complaining that it’s too cold to leave the house!

But never fear, we’ve made the best of it.

My son turned 6 last week and received two poster maps from his grandparents to cover one wall in his bedroom.  We decided to spend the afternoon mapping out some of the places to which we’ve shipped our Clever Charlotte patterns and, in the process, we’ve discovered places with unfamiliar, exotic-sounding names such as Wollongong, New South Wales in Australia.

As for the markers, we decided to use some plasti-tack to afix 1×1 Lego pieces to the maps, which is quite appropriate for my son whose sole reference point in life, it sometimes seems, are Legos.  As another example, when we were fixing a marker to San Diego, JR decided it should be named San De-Lego instead.  Isn’t that the home of Legoland in Southern California?

[Oh, and by the way, this is "Lego Mom Mary" from Legoland's website. Are those Mom Jeans she's wearing?  I think we mothers of the world should start a letter-writing campaign for a better looking mini figure.  But I completely digress...]

After we mapped for a while, we sneaked downstairs to have a piece of cold chocolate birthday cake (in keeping with the Lego theme it happens, see below) and a large glass of lemonade. Now that’s what I call a great afternoon.

Keep chilled everyone & have a nice weekend!

Happy sewing!

Finch Shorts with Faux Bow Tie Belt & Lined Cuffs

Remember those ready-to-wear shorts I showed you a few weeks ago that resemble our Finch Shorts? Well, I just couldn’t resist modifying the Finch Shorts pattern for my daughter to reflect some of those fun details.

First, I took inspiration from the navy fabric and contrasting lining in a tiny print that are used in this pair from Olive’s Friend Pop: 

I used the same fabric to line the waistband and the faux bow tie belt as well. Here’s my version:

As for that belt, I used this Gymboree short as my starting point: 

I wanted a simple bow tie that would have a hint of color and would not come untied, as it was purely a decorative detail. First I made a pointy but rounded end to the finished ends of both ties. I then tied two ends to form a bow. With the knot centered on the front waistband, I sewed the unfinished ends of the ties into the two side seams that join the front and back waistband pieces and trimmed the excess. After sewing the waistband to the shorts, I hand-tacked the knot to the waistband to keep it centered and in place.
Here’s a closer look:

Overall, I am really happy with how these turned out. They look great on Miss N. too, but she wasn’t cooperating for pictures, so those will have to wait!

Happy Sewing!

What’s Charlotte liking this week? Find out each Tuesday as she spots trends and captures a little slice of goodness from Pinterest.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
So you think you can stamp?  But can you hand-carve stamp?  If not, you should learn!  Hand-carved stamps are everywhere right now.  In addition to these cute designs, I have listed further below a few really beautiful blogs with great tutorials and inspiring uses for your finished stamps.  So get carving!

Charlotte's Pinteresting Finds week of July 18, 2011

Sources: /one/ Mini Flowers found via /two/ Hot Air Balloon found via /three/ Grass found via /four/ Ice Cream Faces found via various /five/ Thanks found via

For more on hand-carving, check out these sites:

• Geninne’s Art Blog
• Ishtar Olivera
• Memi the Rainbow [Check out her PDF tutorial and patterns available on Etsy!]

Want to see even more of what Charlotte is looking at this week?

Hi folks–just a quick post to let you know that we’ve set up Charlotte’s Flickr group for our patterns.  We invite you to join the group & share photos of your finished pieces when they are ready!

Thanks to Christina of icewerks for being the first to upload a photo.  Aren’t these tangerine linen Finch shorts just smashing?

I hope you have a nice weekend.  I have a few more creative projects to share with you next week!

Happy Sewing!