Tag Archives: handmade

Sewing ~ Fear Not


Posted by tlcinspirations

Are you paranoid? Overwhelmed?  Don’t know where to start?  Threading a sewing machine, or winding a bobbin can be a little intimidating, and sometimes downright scary, especially if you have never done it before.  I created this tutorial to help beginners get over their fear.  I will be using a Brother SE 400 Sewing and Embroidery machine.  Although all sewing machines are a bit different, they all share the same technology.  My intent is to get you to a place of comfort and realize it’s not as complicated and scary as it looks.  You will need to refer to your sewing machine manual for your machine’s specific features and instruction.  You must know how to thread your machine before you can begin to sew.  I did a video tutorial on threading my machine that may help get you started, but your manual is the best instruction for your machine.

The following tutorial will guide you through sewing a basic straight seam.  For practice, cut a couple of 6″ squares of fabric, that you can sew together.

Step One:  Place your fabric with right sides together, and line up the edges, where you will sew your seam.

Step Two:  Raise you presser foot, place fabric under presser foot, lining it up with one of the seam measurements located on your needle plate. (It should say 5/8″ for normal seam) You want the edge of you fabric to be on that line.

Step Three:  Lower you presser foot, then sew slowly 3 or 4 stitches, then place the machine in reverse sewing for a couple of stitches (this is to lock your stitches, so they don’t unravel)  Your reverse button should be located either on your front panel of the machine, or on your handwheel.

Step Four:  Now continue sewing forward (at a comfortable speed, to maintain control and keep you stitches straight) until you have reached the end of your seam.

Step Five:  Again, at the end of your seam, reverse a few stitches, and then finish to end of fabric.  Lift presser foot, remove fabric, cut threads!  Congratulations!  You have just sewn a seam!  That was easy, right??

But Wait!

Next, you need  to press your seam.  This is one step that a lot people seem to skip or ignore, but it is extremely important if you want your project to look crisp, and professional.

Lay you sewn piece on the ironing board with seam up.  Separate the seam, and press it open (a little steam is helpful)  Now turn you fabric piece over, and press again.  You should press all seams, and your project throughout the process to give it that nice finished look.

See? It isn’t so hard, but if you prefer a video tutorial, I invite you to watch Simply Sew ~ A Straight Seam

Happy Sewing!
Bonnie


Forward Motion


Posted by tlcinspirations

It has been a little over a month since we set up shop at Happy Delusions, in Renton, WA, sharing this unique venue with many other talented artisans.  Mary Clymer is the very charming owner and operator of this thriving little gift shop in downtown Renton, which features many “one of a kind”, handmade designs from an array of arts and crafts.  We would like to share with you a few of our items, along with some artisan favorites, although there are too many to show here.  We hope that if you visit downtown Renton that you stop in, and check it out for yourself.  Our local festival, Renton River Days is coming soon!

And here’s a little preview of our items…TLC Inspirations

We are experiencing many changes this year, most of them positive.  Rachel has moved to North Carolina (due to hubby’s job) which has brought a slew of challenges for her and her family.  It was an 8 day journey with a moving truck trying to avoid floods and tornados, but they made it!  They are currently getting settled in their new home, and new community.  Since they have never been anywhere on the east coast, there should be a lot to learn and explore.  I miss them, but sometimes moms just need to let go, and let live.  We have many ways to stay connected, and continue our TLC Inspirations partnership, thanks to technology.

Since we closed down our online shops temporarily, we have been expanding our crafting into new directions.  Rachel has been learning how to machine and needle felt, and she has created some adorable and unique handbags.  I, on the other hand, have become more interested in machine embroidery, and trying to implement that beautiful craft into some of my bag designs.  We hope to have some of these new creations available to our customers online soon.  We will keep you posted.

On another note, we started a YouTube channel a couple of months ago, and will be creating tutorials, so that we can share our experiences, ideas, and knowledge.  We hope that you will watch for upcoming tutorials, and visit our YouTube Channel, and subscribe as we add more content.

Find us on FB, Twitter, YouTube, and of course, here on our blog.

Bonnie & Rachel


“Who” Knew


Posted by tlcinspirations

Christmas Grinch Pendant by spoiledroyalgirls

Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville – did not. The Grinch hated Christmas – the whole Christmas season. Now, please don’t ask why; no one quite knows the reason. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. Or it could be that his head wasn’t screwed on just right. But I think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!

And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day. And then – the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus two!

~The Grinch Who Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

Merry Christmas!  May all our hearts remain large beyond the season.

Bonnie & Rachel