Charley Harper

Let's play a game, Fact or Fiction. Which number below is false?

1. I have had a septum piercing for 13 years.
2. When I was younger I once sculpted a quail from a rock.
3. Dick Van Dyke was my first crush.
4. I would never wear jeans with sandals.
5. I'm addicted to watching the tv show Basketball Wives.


Do you have your guesses? Ok, the answers are "fact" for all of them, with the exception of number four. I never thought I would be someone who would wear flip flops and and jeans, but I have officially become that person. More of a function thing than a fashion thing for sure. What was the point of that game? I wanted to throw in the fact that I really like quails and wasn't sure how to bring that up 😂 Welcome to the most pointless paragraph on my blog hahahaha

Quails remind me of my childhood. I grew up on a cattle ranch on twenty acres with no neighbors in sight. I'd see deer, ground squirrels, would hear boars at night, and see little flocks of California quails sprinting across the hills. In the one sculpting class I took in my life, I sculpted a quail from a rock to show I was a quail super fan or something. Dang, I wish I still had that sculpture, but I gave it away to someone a long time ago.


Back to the point of this post: my friends at Birch approached me and asked if I would like to sew something from the new Charley Harper Western Birds fabric line that was being launched. As you can see from the photos, I obviously said "yes" and immediately chose the quail fabric. Birch calls it a cotton poplin and it can be used for quilting or garments. There are a lot of different designs and colorways for the cotton and knit and a few options for double gauze, canvas, and the 108 inch poplin. I have never bought fabric 108 inches wide, but I think it would be a really great option for a quilt back.

The pattern is the Closetcase Patterns Kalle Shirt/Shirtdress sewn in view tunic aka "C". It was a fun one to sew and I would like to make the dress version next. This was my first button popover placket, and while it's not perfect, I am happy with how it turned out. I used to be ashamed of my sewing imperfections, now I just decide that I'll do better the next time and move on with my life.


Speaking of imperfections... if the shape of the hem looks wonky blame me 😁 My serger took a bite out of part of the hem (my bad) and I had to "even" out the other side, so the front would look the same. I don't think it's super noticeable, but like I said up above, "moving on."

I liked the challenge of the popover placket paired with no sleeves to set in or cuffs to attach, like I usually have to do with button ups I make. I also liked attaching bias tape to the hem instead of folding the fabric over and stitching. This thing would be a beast to hem without bias tape, so yeah, no thanks. Idk how I feel about the instructions for attaching the collar, I'll have to try making it again and see how it goes the second time around. Not sure if I am being picky/stubborn because I like doing things the way I am used to, or if I genuinely do prefer the construction method I use when making Grainline Archers.


Any other Charley Harper fans out there?