SoChick Embroidery {Put a Monogram on It!}

If you are following me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter... chances are you know what I've been up to.  And if not, I'm about to tell ya!

We'll have been in Western North Carolina for a year now at the end of this month.  When we moved I decided it was time to bring SoChick! Handbags & Embroidery back to where we started, with personalized embroidered gifts.  While I have been making a few bags here and there, I am very excited with where machine embroidery is taking this little business of mine and look forward to growing in our new location.

When you visit our website, www.sochickhandbags.com, you will find that it's been updated with a shopping cart, the ability to create an account and track your orders, as well as complete ease in ordering products with lots of options for personalization!

Here are our newest items:

Ladies Monogrammed Basic Tee... a great gift idea for Bridal Parties!

Monogrammed Caps.. for beach, pool, golf, ... or bad hair days.

Lots of Monogram Styles to choose from...

... and lots of colors, too!

Our most popular item is our Anchor Monogram Tee...

with three shirt colors and two monogram styles (circle or fancy) to choose from!

I invite you to visit our online shop to place your order today!  Our ladies items are on SALE through May 20th!

See you soon!

 *** Don't forget that we also offer local monogramming services as well as personalized embroidered baby gifts!

XxOo~ Melissa

My Journey: Sewing to SoChick! [Part 2]

Thanks for coming back to read more about my Sewing Journey [Part2]!  (If you missed it, please read Part 1, Here)


[Feeding the Addiction]


For Christmas of 2008, I was given the most awesome gift a newly addicted sewer could ask for: a sewing/embroidery combo machine!  [Read about my Singer Futura, Here]   This new darling and I were going to quickly become great friends and embark on an awesome adventure.


With my new machine, I began making bags and embroidered gifts for friends and family, then my friends started asking if they could buy bags from me to gift to their friends and family! I loved experimenting with patterns and tweaking them with my ideas; I started a notebook to keep track of what I was doing and what I needed to improve on.


 In 2009, I started dreaming of what it would be like to leave my day job, working full-time at a local Animal Hospital (which I enjoyed, but not like I loved sewing!).  I also started planning how I could start a business and grow into it being a full-time opportunity, while allowing myself to be more available to my two daughters.


[SoChick! Handbags is Born]


Almost a year later, around Christmastime, 2009, things became pretty busy in the way of sewing handbags; it was also an eye-opener... between working 40hrs a week at my day job and coming home to work on orders for friends (not to mention caring for my family!), I realized I needed to seriously plan to make SoChick! happen in 2010, and that's what I did!


With a vision of creating beautiful handmade bags and accessories that are a part of our everyday lives, using fun and fresh fabrics; as well as a desire to encourage others to buy and create handmade... SoChick! was born.  Why "So Chick"?  Well, it started as a play on the term "So Chic",  when I hear Chic I think of class and sophistication, SoChick is simply the "Everyday Chic for Everyday Chicks"... timeless designs paired with fun/fresh fabrics from today's fabric designers, made for everyday women.  A way of showing that handmade is chic, functional and fashionable.

SoChick's Market Tote

I researched how to start a business, the licensing required & tax information (because it is important to do things the proper way!), I drew up a Plan, talked to my Husband and spent countless hours on the phone with both my Stepmother and Mother-In-Law (who continue to be so helpful in listening to my ideas and dreams); in August 2010 a series of events led me to take the leap... I left my job at the Animal Hospital and started SoChick! Handbags & Embroidery full-time.

SoChick's Perfectly Pleated Pouches

SoChick! has grown so much from day one; I completely enjoy being able to create my heart out, spend time with my children, and share my passion with all of you!  I am confident that 2012 will bring even more for this little business of mine... thank you for joining me in this journey!


Note: I am inspired by, and have learned a ton from, Lisa Lam of U-handblog; as well as Kim Kight and her website, Trueup.net "All Fabric, All The Time".  Both sites are well worth checking out if you love sewing and fabric!  

XxOo~ Melissa

My Journey: Sewing to SoChick! [Part 1: The Beginning]

I want to share with you where my love of sewing began, blossomed, and how SoChick! was started.  I am breaking this into two posts... Part 2 will be up tomorrow... I didn't want to over-do it. *wink*


First, if you haven't already, check out my post [About Me: The Chick Behind SoChick!], I feel like that is a great starting point to learning more about me.


[My Exposure to Sewing]


Growing up, I didn't learn how to run a sewing machine.  I knew that my grandmother (Nan) had one, she always told me about making things for her four sons (my Dad included); my Nan taught me how to sew/mend by hand.  I remember putting buttons on things for my Dad, as needed.  


When I was in 7th or 8th grade, I took the only home-ec class I would ever attend in my life.  We purchased kits to make pillows, all of the sewing was done by hand.  My pillow was a whale, I turned it in and received an A; I kept the remaining fabric from the kit and sewed a small pillow for my room.


In high school I remember my future-Stepmother reupholstering her sofa using solid and print sheets.  I helped her with applying the fabric covered buttons for the tufted back cushions.  She used this beautiful sage green for the main color and piped and trimmed the cushions in an Ivory/Sage print... I was, and still am, SO impressed by her skills.  She also made my Stepsister's wedding gown... yeah, impressive!


Finally, when I married my husband, I learned that my Mother-In-Law was quite crafty; she introduced me to crochet and Machine Embroidery.  I have some beautiful dresses and rompers for my little chicks that she has made... as well as quilts and embroidered towels and such.  She, too, is very impressive!!


[Learning to Sew]


My Nan's  1970's Brother Sewing machine was passed down to me, it is in a case and super heavy.  I had it for some time before deciding to actually attempt using it.  In March of 2008, my husband and I learned we were expecting our second daughter... shortly thereafter I decided I needed to learn to use that machine I had in the attic!


I hauled it out, happy to see that the user manual was in there, along with everything else my Nan had stored in the case... small scraps that she tested stitches on, metal bobbins wound with the tread that matched whatever it was she had last sewn, even the little pin cushion she used... okay, I'll admit, it was a bit emotional at first, sitting and looking at this machine, feeling this connection I was about to have with my Nan, who passed away in 2004.

I skimmed the manual, picked up the phone and called my Stepmom... "How in the world do I thread this thing?".  Several phone calls later, to both my Stepmom and my MIL, along with some browsing on the internet... I picked up some fabric, (that my MIL had given me from her visit to NY's Garment District, amazing how things come full circle, right?!), and decided on my first project, A diaper bag...



Seriously, my first machine-sewn item was my second daughter's diaper bag, which I made while pregnant with her.  I found a tutorial online for a basic tote and had my way with it... giving it two shoulder straps, with interior pockets, adding four exterior pockets and a removable base to keep its shape:

Of course it wasn't perfect, but it was functional, has held up like you wouldn't believe (we still use it for trips to the beach), and I. made. it. myself!!  It was clear after this bag that I was going to LOVE making bags... I needed to learn more, hone my skills, create beautiful bags with beautiful fabric!  My list of bookmarked websites grew, as did my fascination with handbag construction/design and love of fresh fabric designs/prints.


* * *


Please stop by tomorrow to read Part 2 of [My Journey: Sewing to SoChick!]





XxOo~ Melissa

Ten Random things I ♥ [Ten on Tuesday Link-Up]

I ♥ :

{Coffee}

{Flip Flops}

{Pink & Grey Color Combo}

{Halloween}

{Charming Small Towns}

{Legends}

{Singing in the car with my little chicks}

{Shopping}

{Sunflowers}

{Tattoos}

Now you know a little more about The SoChick Chick aka Me!

Come share 10 things You ♥ by linking up here:

 XxOo~ Melissa

Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself [About Me: The Chick behind SoChick!]

  I wrote this nice long post about myself.  In it, I was going to tell you how I grew up with my Dad, who is US Army Retired, in Sleepy Hollow, NY.  I was going to tell you that my grandmother aka Nan was a huge influence on me, having raised four sons, she did an amazing job of helping raise her only granddaughter of 11 years... me. I was going to mention how my Mom is from the mid-west but I grew up visiting her in Virginia Beach, VA, which is partly where my love for the ocean comes from. She, too, is retired from the Army.

   Then, I was going to tell you that I went away to college in North Carolina (ECU), met my husband and moved to Texas (after he got out of the USMC); Texas is where we had our first daughter; moved to Georgia (where hubs grew up, and his parents still live) and became a huge college football fan GO DAWGS!; started vacationing at Fripp Island, SC every summer (sometimes multiple times a year); then moved back to Morehead City, NC (where my Dad has a summer cottage, in which he and my stepmother live full-time now that he's retired again.) and finally ended up back in Havelock, NC (about 15 miles inland from the beach), where we welcomed our second daughter and sort-of started out in the first place...

Source: dailybitsofbeauty.com via Dara on Pinterest

After writing that post I thought, that's a whole lot of background and makes for a novel super long post... so I did what anyone would do, I deleted it. [pause ... cricket, cricket]. THEN, I thought, but all of that really makes up who I am, my style, way of being... me! Doh!

I will write another post that goes a little more in depth of how I really got started with SoChick and where my love of sewing came from, but for now I want to give you a better idea of the gal behind the biz.

  Hi, I'm Melissa *wave*:

Taken in Savannah, Ga this past spring.
Note: That's a SoChick! Handbag hiding in the pic.

I'll be 28 in September and have been married to my husband, Joe, for almost 9 years.  We've got two beautiful girls, my chick-a-dee's, Trista (8) and Natalie (2); two dogs Marilyn (a 5year old Boston Terrier) and Conrad (a 2year old Standard Poodle); and a big fat Carolina Panther black cat, Jack Bauer.

Marilyn Louise

Conrad the cool Spoo

Growing up in a small town 30miles north of New York City, Sleepy Hollow, to be exact (have you heard of Washington Irving? How about The Headless Horseman?), I've got a soft spot for ghost stories, legends and lore... which may be part of the reason I'm so enamored with the South.  The Carolina Coast with its stories of swashbuckling Pirates, the lowcountry of South Carolina steeped in history and legend, and iconic cities/towns such as Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC all do something to me.  Beyond that, though, I love the easy-going way of life, the traditions, the architecture, style and grace of most things southern.

 My Nan's house was across the street from The Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow... I could see it from her bedroom window:

Source: holy-ny.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I love my family, my dogs, spring, summer and fall (Winter not so much, I saw enough snow growing up thank-you-very-much), college football, living near the coast, the beach, sunsets, gardening, and daydreaming of my forever home.  

Source: southernliving.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Southern Living, Better Homes & Gardens, and Coastal Living are among my magazine subscriptions..  and are often the reason for my above mentioned daydreaming.  

Source: dotfrank.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I heart Dorthea Benton Frank novels, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series, and James Patterson's Women's Murder Club Series as well as his other works.  I'm a hard worker, loyal, caring; a jeans and flip flops gal, yet feminine and classy- not to be confused with being high-maintenance...though I'm sure I easily could be if I were to, say, win the lotto *wink*... I think kindness and a touch of class can bring you far in life.  And when I say "class" I don't mean the amount of money you have, or what social circle you run with, I'm talking about your overall way of handling yourself, your morals, values and general way of being.. there's an old saying "Money can't buy class"... I believe this to be true.

Source: anthonyyyy.com via Melissa on Pinterest

  I'm a down-to-earth gal and fairly easy to get along with.  I know how to kick my feet up and have a good time, enjoy dates with my husband (though too few lately) and Mommy-Daughter pedicures/shopping trips (which I'd like to see more of as my chicks get older).  And, though I don't have much of it, I really appreciate vintage-mod decor and am amazed by what people can do with it. I love nostalgia, oh, that warm-fuzzy-feeling of remembering; I heart tulips, daisies, and sunflowers for that very reason.  

Source: tokketok.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I often develop an emotional connection with items; if looking at a handbag, fabric swatch, painting, photo, or trinket brings me to that happy, nostalgic place, I'm way more likely to buy it and hold onto it.  But, I guess that in my line of work, I am more apt to try to convey that feeling into my products, too... I love to create, I enjoy sewing, reading, crochet, baking (at times) and such.  My taste in music is crazy, I appreciate stuff from the 50's and 60's, I adore Elvis, Otis Redding and the Righteous Brothers.  I like Rock music as much as good ol' Rock n' Roll; I'll dance to Pop, sing to Country and just about whatever in between.

I hope this gives you a peek of who I am without boring you to pieces with how long it is. *wink*  I'm glad you've stopped by, be sure to follow me @TheSoChickChick, bookmark this site, and visit my shop! *HUG* 

XxOo~ Melissa