Weekend Wrap-Up [Camping & My Craftsy Pattern Shop]

 What a fun weekend of camping with my daughter, her Girl Scout Troop and 2000 other Scouts from North Carolina.  We were celebrating 100 years of Girl Scouting... Wow!  I was a Girl Scout in 1st & 2nd Grades in Germany, my Dad is US Army Retired; it was awesome to be able to share this once-in-a-lifetime event with my chickie.

Of course we were super tired when we got home yesterday afternoon... basically we just laid around the rest of the day to recoup.


How exciting, though, to come home to some brand-spankin'-new SoChick business cards?! 

I ordered these from Moo.com and couldn't be happier with them!  It's great seeing "Fabric" and "Sewing Patterns" listed as an offering from SoChick!  Truly a dream coming true! (Is that over-use of the word 'true' or what?! But, it's the truth! *wink*)

Pretty fabric is on it's way to me and I can't wait to get it all checked in, photographed, and listed so that it can then make it to you! (Soon, so soon!)

In the meantime, my Craftsy.com Pattern Shop is OPEN!  Currently I have the SoChick! Market Tote Sewing Pattern listed for sale.  I felt this was a perfect pattern to start with because it's fairly easy to sew, teaches skills that can be carried over into other handbag & accessory construction, and can easily fit your personality when using your own fabric combos.   Bag Making Kits will also be available in my SoChick Shop as fabric is listed.

What I love about the SoChick! Market Tote as a bag... well, it's super versatile, the gathers in the bottom sides add a feminine-chic touch, it has two inside pockets to help organize (you can fit a TON in this bag), the sides fold in for a different look and it has a magnetic tab closure.  What's more, it's interlined with canvas which really ups the durability factor.  I love it!

I've also started a Flickr group, SoChick! Sewing.  Now, when you make something using one of my patterns, you can share it with myself and others!  I can't wait to see your spin on my sewing patterns!

P.S.- If you've purchased an item from SoChick!, you can share customer appreciation photos in the SoChick ~Customer Love~ Flickr group, too!

Have a wonderful Monday!!

XxOo~ Melissa

Gone Camping and a Custom Order

A super quick post today as I am packing up to head out for a weekend Camping trip with my oldest Chick-a-dee, her Girl Scout Troop and about 2000 other North Carolina Girl Scouts as we celebrate 100 years of Girl Scouting.  Good Times.


I wanted to share this custom order diaper bag I made recently.  Again, I used Lisa Lam's Multi-tasking Tote pattern, from The Bag Making Bible... which I love.  I also love my customer's choice of the black/white Damask with Red combo.  So Classy, So Chic, So Chick!!  I also included a coordinating Wipe-able, Roll-able, SoChick Changing pad... which is topped with Vinyl for easy cleaning. 

Bag Exterior and Accents: Black & White Damask and Polka dots 100% Cotton Home Dec. Canvas


Lining: Red 100% Organic Cotton Twill


I included a Removable Base Insert for easy cleaning as well as the vinyl-covered, roll-able changing pad.


What an awesome bag to take you through the baby years and beyond!


Have a fabulous weekend!  I'll update you when I make it back to civilization. *wink*


P.S.- This is my 200th post!!! Ahhh! Can you believe it?! *happy dance* I ♥ all of you for following along with me!


XxOo~ Melissa

The SoChick Chick's Guide to Fabric [Part 5: 'Other' Fabrics I Love; Q&A]

I have enjoyed working on this fabric 'road map' I call "The SoChick Chick's Guide to Fabric"; I hope you have been able to learn enough about quilting cottons to get you started on your sewing journey with a bit more confidence.


Is this your first time seeing The SoChick Chick's Guide to Fabric, you may want to start here to see what it's all about: [Looking for Fabric 101? You've Got It]

[Part 5: "Other" Fabric, Q & A]


Since I have based this Fabric Guide largely on quilting cottons (my favorite), I thought it would be a great time to share some of the "other" types of fabric I enjoy sewing with, as well as some tips for difficult fabrics that I have learned along the way.


{Home Decor Fabric}


'Home dec' fabric is a pretty broad term in my world, seriously.  When I hear "Home Dec" Fabric" I think anything from Dupioni Silk to Cotton Duck Canvas to Jaquard... Yikes!


My favorite "Home Decor" fabrics are Linen, Cotton Canvas (including duck), and Cotton Sateen.


I have used all of these fabric in handbags and have to say they are pretty simple, with the exception of Linen being a little slinky to cut... but, it makes for some beautiful totes!

Tip: Use Linen to add shabby chic accents to items by fraying the raw edges.

Cotton Duck is great for bags that are going to get a lot of use, i.e. Messenger bags, diaper bags, overnight, etc.  I like adding prints to the mix to freshen things up a bit.


Custom Diaper Bag & Custom Messenger Purse

Cotton Sateen is great for adding body and durability... here is my most recent use of Cotton Sateen: 

Another fun material to work with is Cotton Laminate, this is quilting cotton that has a laminate overlay, so it can be wiped clean, is great for raincoats, placemats, table coverings... etc.


Here is a great link to Pink Chalk Studio's post about Working with Cotton Laminates. 


Here is my first major use of working with laminate, lining a diaper bag:

Tip: A Teflon foot is recommended for sewing laminate so that things move smoothly without getting caught up under the needle.  Fact: I do not have a Teflon foot.  Fact: Tear-away embroidery stabilizer works wonders for sewing over Laminates AND Vinyl.  Also, I've been known to stick some masking tape on my foot and presser plate to help things along... though the tear-away has worked the best thus far.




I could go on and on about fabrics and tips, but for now I'm going to wrap up this series with a little Q & A.  I posted on twitter a few days ago and was happy to receive some Questions as well as a comment on the blog the other day:


Q: What is the best stabilizer to stiffen my bags (stand up on own)?


A:  There are a few options here, my preference is to use fusible fleece for the lining fabric and a heavy weight sew-in for the interlining.  This is what helps to give bags like SoChick Savannah Tote a tailored look.  

Another option is to use Craft Fuse, which is a heavy weight fusible interfacing.  I tend to use this only for smaller items, as I'm not thrilled with how it bonds to fabric.  


Finally, Pellon makes a very heavy-duty stabilizer called Peltex.  This comes in a sew-in, single sided fusible, and double sided fusible.  This adds serious strength and shape to bags, it's important to trim within the seam allowance when using this product to save your needles and reduce bulk in your seams.


Q: How do I best reinforce the area under magnetic snap closures?


A:  It took some time for me to figure this one out, as I don't like to also feel the back of the magnetic tab through my bag.  Typically I will cut a square of fusible interfacing to put on the wrong side of my fabric, where I plan on applying the snap.  If I am using a heavier weight fabric without interfacing, I will double-up on the fusible squares for extra reinforcement.  Often, I will cut an additional square of heavy-weight sew in to put behind the snap, before applying the metal backing.  I find that this gives my snap a little something to "hold on to" and doesn't stress the fabric.

Q: How much fabric should I expect to use in making a handbag?


A:  Of course, this will vary depending on the size bag you are making and it's style, but I have found that, generally, you can get away with purchasing 3/4 - 1 yard of fabric to make a medium sized handbag.  In Part 3 of this Fabric Guide, I mention using Fat Quarters... I use three Fat Quarters to make my Daisy Handbag.  Those FQ's cover the Exterior, Lining and Accents; this is great if you tend to snatch up smaller cuts of fabric for your stash.  There are a lot of bags out there that work with FQ's.

Q: Any tips on sewing with knits?


A:  I'm not super experienced in garment sewing, but I have some experience with using knits for projects.  My number one tip is to be sure you are using a ball-point needle.  This allows your needle to pass through the knit of the fabric without piercing it and creating holes.  Another fact about knits is that they don't fray. This is nice for items, like the ruffle scarves I make, where you leave a raw edge, because the raw edge tends to curl into itself.  Yay. 

Ball-point needles also come in handy for sewing heavy-weight fabrics... it's true!  I use a ball-point needle when I  am working with canvas bags, again, since the ball-point doesn't pierce the fabric, it finds it's way through the weave of the fabric, which saves from broken needles!


Thanks so much for your feedback!  I am always open to answering questions to help you with your sewing adventures!  A lot of skills are learned through trial and error, and you may find that what works for others doesn't always work for you.


Happy Sewing!

XxOo~ Melissa

Weekend-Wrap Up & I Want Your Sewing Questions

This past weekend was another good one, though it rained all day yesterday and got a little chilly... I'll survive, I guess.


I have another custom order I'll share later this week as well as finally sharing about the Sewing Expo I went to weeks ago, and will be attending again in June, in Raleigh, NC.


Today, though I want your feedback.... have you seen my Guide to Fabric?

Well, I need to wrap that up... I have one post left where I'll tell you about some fabrics I enjoy working with, other than quilting cotton, but I also want to use it as a Q & A... So here's what I'd like from you:


What tips & tricks do you want to know to help you on your sewing journey?


Any questions about bag making you'd like answered?


How about sewing in general... need some tips?


Ask away in the comments, I'll take your questions and include them in my final Guide to Fabric post.  Sometimes finding the answers really is as simple as asking a question!




Happy Monday!


XxOo~ Melissa

Gust Posting for Bubblewrapp'd [Chalkboard-Makeover DIY]

I'm visiting my friend Andrea's Blog today [Bubblewrapp'd] and telling you all about my Chalkboard-Makeover DIY Project... go check it out.

Also worth checking out is the celebratory GiveAway that I'm having over on my SoChick! Facebook Page!  


Happy Wednesday!!


XxOo~ Melissa

Weekend Wrap-Up [Back to Market and a Diaper Tote]

This past weekend I went back to the New Bern Farmer's Market, here in NC.  I attended the Market at the end of last year and decided to take time off through the winter.  Now that my business is preparing to expand, carrying my sewing patterns and premium cotton fabrics from today's designers, I felt it was a good time to start back at the market again... not to mention, I love the socialization and everyone is so nice and kind.


Mostly I will be carrying smaller accessories and embroidered items while I'm there, leaving larger bags to be ordered in my shop.  What excites me most about this arrangement is being able to get into embroidery more often... I love embroidering fun and whimsical designs, it's exciting to see what my machine can do!


Here is my set-up from this past weekend at the market:

This weekend was Spring Fest at the Market and there were a lot of folks out and about.  I enjoyed my neighbors, meeting new people and catching up with familiar faces!


Next up, I want to share a recent custom bag that I made for a great friend of mine.  She and her husband recently welcomed their third child into the world and she and I chatted about a diaper tote that she could use past the baby years... She picked the Laura Gunn Poppy fabric for the front of the bag and said she wanted "organizational features"... here's what I came up with:

This bag is a slightly larger version of the Savannah Tote found in my Shop, the brown fabric is organic cotton twill and it is lined in 100% cotton from Michael Miller Fabrics.  The overall colors are Turquoise, Aqua and Brown with the pops of red and green in the poppy print.

 Inside, I included a removable base insert (which is found in most SoChick! handbags with a boxy base!), 5 elastic-topped pockets (three on one side, two larger ones on the other), a small pacefier/lipgloss pocket toward the top of the lining and a hook for keys.


I love how this bag turned out, I don't think it looks like a diaper bag and all of the pockets will keep it super functional beyond diapers and bottles.  I'm happy to tell you that my friend said she loves it, too!  Hearing that is why I love what I do!!


* * *
Pssst~ Have you been to the SoChick Handbags Facebook page? I am seriously ONE 'like' away from 400 and I would LOVE to give something away when we hit that milestone... 


and P.S.~ Thank you for reading and following along with me here, on facebook and on Twitter.  You are all such a huge part of SoChick! and why I love and continue to do what I do! XxOo~ M


XxOo~ Melissa

Computer Trouble... Happy Monday

Happy Monday! I hope it was a lovely weekend for you. It was great here, beautiful weather, the Farmer's Market was a blast and we put the loft bed up in our girls' room!
I had this great plan to get a bunch of blog posts scheduled this morning so that I could share some of what I've been up to... But, as is my luck, my computer is not wanting to work properly... Making editing photos very difficult.
While I work to get that figured out, I am still available on Facebook and Twitter... So come hang out with me over there until I can get bugs fixed and this little blog up and running again!!
XxOo~Melissa

P.S.- I'm posting this from my iPad... Aren't you impressed with my skillz?! *laughs*