The Holidays are upon us!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  Now, with all of the Black Friday, Small Business SSaturday and Cyber Monday festivities past us, we are truly in the midst of the Holiday season.  Psst... I am going to let you in on a little secret, we don't have a single Christmas decoration up in our house... EEK! Seriously, though, we have planned for Friday to be our "decorating day", it seems that it may have been the same last year as well. 

This Friday kicks everything into high gear for my family... with Girl Scout events, Christmas Floatillas, Christmas Parades, Breakfast with Santa, Toys for Tots presentations, and Christmas orders to fulfill (lets not forget that I have a business to run as well *wink*) the time sure can fly by!

Wait...you didn't think I sat at my sewing machine all day... did you?!

If you notice to the right I have added a little slide show, this seems to be the best way to get my "portfolio" out to you, lets you see what I've been up to.  I have pictures from custom orders, current items listed for sale, and just a bunch of this 'n' that.

Here are some aprons I recently did as a custom order.. they are super cute and practical, I was happy when my customer approached me about making them, they were lots of fun:

Next up:

I also did some custom holiday hand towels with machine embroidery...

(this one is from last Christmas)

I just LOVE seasonal hand towels, whether they are guest towels, kitchen towels, bath towels, they are just so stinkin' cute and festive! Yay, Christmas!

On my trip to do some Christmas shopping today I did manage to take care of business... by picking up some super fab fabric that I am going to use to make some dahlin' market totes and wristlets... I can't wait!

Hello... My Name is Melissa and I'm a Fabricaholic...

These birdies and zig-zags are going to be adorable and the patchwork with the suzani-esque print will make a super tote for any Saturday farmers market... without looking like you're headed to the farm... Ha!

Last but not least, remember to subscribe to the blog to get all the updates and to stay current with whats going on... feel free to comment, I want to know what you think!

P.S. I have a surprise in store for tomorrow evening, check back to see what it is... *HINT* isn't there someone on your list that you missed during the Black, Small, Cyber shopping extravaganza?!

xxoo,

~Me

Me

Oh Fabric, How I LOVE You!

Listening to Pandora, doing some more embroidered towels for the Scroogefest and reading fabric blogs. My fav is http://www.trueup.net/ and right now she's blogging about Quilt Market 2010 which just finished up in Houston, TX. (And where I'll be headed next fall... WOOT!!) One of her recent posts was on Michael Miller Fabrics, Inc... of which I am a big fan. There are some cute retro prints.. my fav so far being the 60's inspired prints starting at the third picture on this post http://www.trueup.net/quilt-market/fall-quilt-market-2010-michael-miller-clubhouse-and-more/ . Maybe I'll get my hands on some of these and make some ridiculously cute bags, and such for spring!!

More and more I'm wanting to jump right in and open a bricks & mortar shop like, NOW. Unfortunately, though, that is not in the works at the moment and I'll be sticking to the Internet for a bit. Carrying fabric and handbag accessories could be in the future for SoChick... with Handbags and Embroidery always being at the forefront of the business. :-) Just thinking out loud for now.

... break for thread change...

...break for dancing around the kitchen with my little chickies (Pandora's playing good stuff today)...

I also like the tattoo prints from Michael Miller which are at the bottom of the above mentioned post... oh and the sugar skulls... all of which have the wheels in my brain in motion.

...skipping the Britney song on Pandora...

I think its safe to say I love most everything Michael Miller.

Heading to lunch in a bit with my kids, Dad and stepmom, for Veteran's Day, so I'm going to get back to work now!

Happy Veteran's Day!

~M

Rainy Day

I've gotten a lot done today so I'm taking a break to blog some pictures of what I've been up to while enjoying a nice cup of coffee.. yum... gotta have the caffiene fix to get me through another night of sewing. I have a feeling its going to be like this through Christmas! (Woo Hoo! Busy=Good for Business)


Here is the flag I did for my older daughter's Girl Scout troop. Basically I just added the lettering... it turned out so nice, i'm very pleased:

And here is just a sneak peek of the awesome hardware on a custom Diaper Bag I'm finishing up... I will post pictures of the actual bag after it is delivered.

These quick-release hooks on the bag straps allow this bag to be used as a messenger or as a back-pack. They are so great, I love them!

I really love adding hardware and such to bags, it gives them a polished and professional look and just brings the whole bag up a notch. A lot of the newer bags I will be putting on SoChick!'s website will feature metal hardware.

Thats about it for now... off to start dinner then back to the sewing table!

Happenings...

What a rainy day today is, hopefully these storms will blow out the humidity. Ick!


Since I was up early today with a certain little baby of mine I was able to finish up some work from last night and squeeze in a little picture uploading and blogging. So here we go...


Lots going on for SoChick in the next few months, i've been working on custom orders, preparing items for my first craft fair and mostly because it's Holiday Time!



REMINDER: Custom Holiday Orders need to be received by NOV 18th! This includes All custom bags, blankets, and large orders requiring personalization. This will ensure that your items are ready for delivery and/or shipping in time for Christmas! Individual Personalized Orders and Buy It Now items can be ordered through Dec 12th. for shipping in time for Christmas.



Moving on...



I recently had an order for custom children's blankets which got me thinking that maybe I should offer these on my site... what do you think?

These no-pill fleece blankets are trimmed with novelty cotton print and embroidered with child's name. They measure 36 x 36 inches, a perfect size for young children, but also just right for snuggling as they grow.

These two custom blankets were done in a Nautical theme with boat stripe fleece trimmed in SailBoat print cotton and OceanWaves cotton. These would make a wonderful gift, especially for the person who "has it all", as each blanket is completely unique.


Next up...


SoChick! is going to be at Scroogefest 2010 in Havelock, NC on Nov. 20th...

This will be the perfect place to do some holiday shopping for some really great gifts! SoChick will have a variety of Holiday Themed Tumblers, Hand-Towels, Totes AND Wristlets. So, plan on stopping by to check it out!!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween, we will be Trick-or-Treating Sunday, but watching the Georgia vs. Florida game on Saturday... GO DAWGS!

~Melissa

P.S.- My New HP Photosmart Printer JUST arrived via FedEx... Woot! Woot!

Have a great day!

I just finished up some new items for the site! A few simple yet chic totes and coordinating wristlets. I used up the rest of my Regent Skulls fabric by Alexander Henry for one tote and wristlet... I love, love, love it! I adore the colors and really this fabric takes you everywhere from feeling like royalty to living it up in Vegas, with crowns and suits of cards, and pretty places in between, with flowers and butterflies. Plus, the skulls are totally fitting for Halloween, right?

Don't worry, there is something for everyone... the second tote and wristlet feature a beautiful Gerbera Daisy print fabric in shades of red on a white background paired with black it makes for an eye catching combo!

Both totes have pretty pleats which give them a dress-like shape and are sized just right. So pretty, so perfect for everyday, so chic... SoChick!

They will be listed for sale tomorrow, be sure to check it out!

SNEAK PEEK:

What a quick week this has been, probably because I was stuck in Jury Duty on Monday! I did, however, manage to deliver some custom orders, get a few new totes made for the site (which I will be putting up mid-week) and to round it off I was able to sell a few Team Pink Awareness items!

Pink items will be available through the end of October with a percentage of the sales going to Susan G. Komen for a CURE. :-)

On another note, I can't believe Halloween is around the corner and i've yet to figure out costumes for my kids, eeek! Once Halloween is over its like the official whirlwind of the Holiday Season, starting to think about Holiday Items I will be carrying on the site... I will have a Holiday Line launched early November, so get your Christmas List ready!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Melissa S.
SoChick!

Custom Order: Diabetic Handbag

Here is a custom order I just completed. My client wanted a stylish bag that allowed easy access to her diabetes testing supplies clutch.
The pocket for the clutch was the biggest challenge for this bag, but came out very nicely, allowing easy access to her supplies while blending seamlessly into the back of the purse.
I am very pleased with how this bag turned out, and hope my client loves it as much as I loved making it!

Front pocket flap secured with magnetic snap closure.


Diabetic Clutch pocket (and YES that's an adjustable strap!)

Clutch pocket opened. Pocket is 10.25L x 6.5H x 1.5D (measurements in inches)

Top zippered closure.

Final bag measurements: 11"L x 8"H x 3.5"D

ALSO...

TEAM PINK items are now available on the website http://www.sochickhandbags.com/ A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of these products will go to Susan G. Komen for a Cure at the end of October!