Ruffled Skirt with Appliqued Top {A Handmade Outfit}

I've been wanting to sew an outfit or two for my little chickies for quite some time, but am always hesitant; garment sewing freaks me out a bit.  So, before diving into all of the pretty patterns and kits that I've collected, I decided to try out an easy sewing tutorial to make a ruffled skirt for my youngest chick... of course I made a matching shirt to go along.

[The Project] 
Little Girl's Ruffled Skirt w/ Appliqued Tee

[The Skirt]
Pattern Used:
I used Tanya Whelan's Ruffled Skirt Tutorial, which I found on Pinterest.  I have also pinned the tutorial to my Sewing Board on Pinterest.

Fabrics Used:
Appleville Village, in Chocolate, by Suzy Ultman, for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. 
Tortoise Shell Coral, Saltwater by Tula Pink for Westminster.

[I love being able to keep my iPad open on the table while I work on a project!]

[Pieces cut]

[First Steps complete]

[Finished w/ elastic in the waist and hemmed]

[The Shirt]
Embroidery Machine Used:
Singer Futura CE-150

Embroidery Design:
Bella Frame Applique from PlanetApplique.com
Monogram from my Singer Software

Supplies:
Thread: Floriani & Isacord polyester embroidery thread
Stabilizer: Floriani Fusible Mesh & Oesd lightweight tear away
Fabrics: Same as I used in the skirt
White Tee from Target

[Hooped & stitching]

[With Monogram and trimmed]

[The Verdict]
This outfit was sew fast, easy and fun!

I quickly stitched the skirt while my little chickie was at preschool, on an abbreviated schedule, meaning I got the skirt cut and sewn within two hours!!

I completed the Tee in one evening; using my embroidery software's font feature, I was able to put little chick's Monogram within the Bella Frame Applique design.

I love the way this outfit turned out and the colors are perfect for fall.  We will add tights and a cardigan for chilly fall days.

I think it's safe to say that my little chick loves this outfit, too, because she has worn it several times since I've made it.  Success!

I have Tanya Whelan's book, Sew What You Love, and I like her quick and easy-to-sew patterns.  Have you visited Tanya Whelan's website?  Have you seen her book?  Let me know if you try this Ruffled Skirt Tutorial!

You can find Tula Pink's SaltWater Collection in my Esty Shoppe.

XxOo~ Melissa

Ready for Fall, Almost. {Weekend Wrap-Up}

Tell me the truth... have you had a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks?  I'll let you in on a not-so-secret secret... I have not. Ha!  What have I been up to, you wonder?  Well...

I turned 30 last weekend, so I've been Thirty for a week and two days... I have to say, it's not feeling much different than the past few years.  The kicker may be that both of my girls are now in school, well, the youngest is in Pre-K, but, still...  I now (for the first time since starting SoChick!) have actual, dedicated, work time during the day! Yay!

So, back to this weekend's wrap up...  I may not have had Pumpkin Spice anything from Starbucks, but I did enjoy a homemade pumpkin spice coffee at home, in my new mug, which I picked up at World Market with my $10 Birthday Coupon!! (Along with the pretty new earrings shown)  

Here's how I made my Pumpkin Spice Coffee:

- One mug fresh brewed coffee, I use World Market's Breakfast Blend.

- A drizzle of pure maple syrup

- A dash of Pumpkin Pie Spice

- A splash of organic 1/2 & 1/2

I know you love my exact measuring... *wink*

We spent the weekend enjoying the company of some wonderful friends of ours who were out this way from the coast.  It was a short and sweet visit, but we were so, so glad to see them!

 Lastly, because it's been quite brisk here in the Mountains the past few mornings, I decided it was time to put up a fall wreath on our door.  Of course, since we are in a new home, I thought it'd be nice to update my previous wreath, using supplies I had on hand.  I'm very happy with how it came out and very glad to have used the brown satin ribbon I've been holding on to for years!  I swear, years!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and I hope to have more to share, very soon!

XxOo~ Melissa

Girl's Room Makeover {A DIY Project}

While my girls were away to the beach this summer, lucky kids, I decided to give our eldest a surprise room-makeover.  My goal for this makeover was to ultimately create a space that she could: easily keep tidy/organized, have room to hang out with her friends, quietly do her homework (away from her little sister) and read, etc.  The girls shared a bedroom for the past two years, so this was a nice way to celebrate her having her own bedroom.

Previously, my chickie and I sat down to pin some inspiration to a Pinterest board, so I had an idea of what she was wanting the room to look like.  I also kept the budget for this makeover super low, using items we already had and chalk painting a desk (which I got for free a few years ago).  The only purchases I made were:

1 gallon flat paint for the walls
2 paint samples containers for the desk (though I only used 1) 
1 can of Minwax furniture wax (which will last the rest of my life, I'm sure)
1 package plaster of paris
Desk Lamp base
Lamp Shade
Clear drawer pulls, for desk

Alrighty, here are the pictures & details:

Kind of a "During" shot... but you get the idea, lots of junk and beige walls.  I painted the entire room in one day, did the desk DIY the second day; put the room together the third day.

{Desk DIY}

I used a chalk paint recipe that my Stepmom found somewhere on Pinterest, the same recipe I used on the shelves in this bathroom makeover from our old house.

Chalk Paint Recipe:
- Plastic Container for mixing.
- Plaster of Paris
- Interior Flat Paint 
- Water

Mark lines on the side of the plastic container to divide it into four equal parts.  Add Plaster of Paris to the first line.  Mix in an equal amount of water to make the Plaster of Paris smooth, it should still measure to the first line.  Stir in the paint, to the top line.  

I painted four coats of Homemade Chalk Paint onto the desk, not including the drawers, lightly sanding after each coat.  After the final sanding, I wiped down the desk and applied Minwax furniture wax to the entire desk, again, not working on the drawers, and polished.

I chose to modge-podge fabric to the front of the drawers, picking colors that matched the room.  I pressed and trimmed the fabric to fit the front of each drawer, leaving a slight overlap so I could fold it around the drawer front.  I used Elmer's Spray Adhesive to adhere the fabric to the drawer fronts, being sure to smooth all bubbles.  I then applied two coats of Modge Podge to seal the fabric.

I used a drill to drill through the fabric into the original holes on the drawers, then put on the new drawer pulls.

{Ta Da!}

We have artwork and photos to hang on the wall at some point.  Not pictured, is the wall space to the left of the foot of the bed, where we have her gymnastics memorabilia hanging.

 

My chickie was super-duper excited when she saw her new room... I actually took a video of the "Reveal", but I don't want to completely embarrass her by sharing it with the world... sharing on Facebook was engouh to do the trick. *wink*

XxOo~ Melissa

Summer 2013 {Weekend Wrap-Up}

This summer year has been crazy, an adventure, but crazy... to say the least!  While the fabric shop has reopened and is doing well, I thank you bunches and bunches, I have been totally lame in the "work" department.  I am trying not to feel too guilty for that though, as I have been really enjoying settling in to this new place with my family, enjoying the summer with my little chicks and thinking about where I want to go from here on out, with SoChick.  More on the latter in another post.

This is my long overdue first Weekend Wrap-Up, aka Summer Wrap-up, post from the mountains of WNC...

I quickly found a Local Quilt Shop and picked up some Geekly Chic prints, which I paired with some Jennifer Paganelli fabrics from my Fabric Shoppe.  This project was a practice in piece/quilt as you go, which I've yet to complete.

This is one of the first views we had when we moved to WNC, from the balcony of our temporary apartment.

We've taken several drives along the Blue Ridge Parkway, here is a view of Looking Glass from the Overlook on the BRP.

Across from the Looking Glass Overlook on the BRP, we hiked to Skinny Dip Falls.  We came back another time to try to swim here... no thanks, I'm not ready for icy mountain water. Brrrr!

My youngest chickie was completely bummed about not having "pretty" jammies to wear to bed, so we took a trip to a local fabric store, they picked out their shabby chic fabrics and I got busy drafting and sewing my first set of girly summer nightgowns.  I'm not going to be making children's sewing patterns anytime soon, but it was much easier than I anticipated.  Let me know if you're interested in the tutorial by leaving a comment below!

This past week I sewed these coasters for our living room.  These were sew easy, my little chicks even sewed their own coasters to use on their nightstands, for their nighttime water.  The girls used Geekly Chic scraps, from the above project, for their coasters.

XxOo~ Melissa

Back 2 School {A Coupon for Free Shipping!}

Free Domestic Shipping when you spend $25 or more, use coupon BACK2SCHOOL at checkout in the SoChick Fabric Shoppe.

So, you're either dreading the "end" of summer, or doing a little happy dance that the kiddos are headed back to school, but either way, it's happening... the new School year... time to get back into the "groove"!

Naturally, I looked at the calendar and thought... "I need to make/buy/sew this or that for the girls before school starts!".  So, if you're like me, you'll be happy with today's coupon for Free Shipping on Domestic Orders of $25 or more with coupon code BACK2SCHOOL at checkout!

You can either:

A. Stock up on fabric for Back to School sewing projects for the kids.

or

B. Stock up on fabric for Back to School = more-time-for-Mom projects. *wink*

Either way. hurry while it lasts... this coupon will expire next Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Happy Shopping!

XxOo~ Melissa

SoChick Fabric Shoppe Re-Opens!

The SoChick Fabric Shoppe is now OPEN and shipping fabric again; this time it's from the mountains of Western North Carolina!

Finally, the time has come; my new studio space is ready, and I hope you are, too!  

Making room...
  As you browse the SoChick Fabric Shoppe, you'll find that premium quilting cottons and laminates have been reduced in price to not only bring you a great deal, but to also help to make room for new Fall Inventory of fresh fabric!

Also coming for Fall 2013, two new SoChick Sewing Patterns and a selection of fun handmade goodies from the new studio space... stay tuned!


XxOo~ Melissa

{A Great Deal (SALE)} Shelburne Falls: New Charm Rolls

Before we moved, I planned to add some new charm rolls to the SoChick Fabric Shoppe... but then the computer crashed, and I've closed my shop while we're in temporary living arrangements.  Needless to say, I have these gorgeous 10in Charm Rolls, from Denyse Schmidt's Shelburne Falls collection, staring at me and need to sell them.  In this case, my loss will be your gain!

The charm rolls feature one 10in sqaure of each of the prints in the Shelburne Falls collection.  There is a Free Quilt Pattern, Square Dance, on Denyse's website which calls for one charm roll and solids.  A simple and modern quilt... fun to stitch with a folksy, yet, modern vibe. Check it out here: 

{Square Dance via dsquilts.com}

Head on over to the SoChick Facebook Page to snatch up a Shelburne Falls charm roll at a great price, which includes shipping!  

How it works:

Simply comment on the facebook post with your paypal email address.  You will receive an invoice within 24 hrs and must pay it within 24 hrs of receipt; your fabric will ship upon receipt of payment.

There are only FIVE rolls available... hurry!

XxOo~ Melissa