Yes! The Telecrafting Teleseminar is next Wednesday, Dec. 16th  at 4pm. Whoa–time flies–Christmas is just around the corner! What does that mean for you?

It means that if you’d like to make a gift or two this year, and you’d like some support in the way of carving out a structured time to get it done, then you’ll need to order a Glitter Decoupage Ornament kit soon soon soon, now (ish), so I can assemble it, pack it and ship it out so you get it in time for our Dec. 16th rendezvous. I’m excited.

So, if you want to participate in the free conference call, you’ll need to order by this Saturday morning EST at the very very latest.

(Of course, you can always order the kits right up til Christmas day and make them whenever you’d like.)

Everything gets sent out priority mail, so if you live on the West Coast and you’d like to join in on the call, it might be better to order today, so I can get it out to you by Friday.

Testimonials

If you’re still on the fence, click here to read a couple-three testimonials from happy ornament kit crafters. I’ve gotten the nicest emails and Facebook & Twitter feedback–everyone seems to be having a really good time.

If you have any questions, btw, that you need answered before you can buy, feel free to contact me and I’ll get back to you asap.

Other Fun Stuff

Cool Drawing Warm Up/Loosening Up Exercise

I stumbled across this wonderful “artist warm up exercise” on Instructables.com and wanted to share. I think I’m going try this one out myself–it looks fun and is a great way to get jumpstarted. Click here to view.

“Creature Scarf” for a Kooky Kid in Your Life

The crazy scarf looked so fun and could be good for either girls or boys. If you’re not a super experienced sewer, it seems to me like you could use velcro instead of a button, but maybe all the crazy hairiness would get stuck on the velcro bit…I don’t know, check it out and see what you think. Cute and fun. Click here to view.

Sewing Tidbits in Your Future

When the weather gets cold, I always get in the mood to sew. And sewn items make great gifts.

If you’ve been thinking you’d like to sew up some zippered pouches for the holidays (to save money, reduce your stash and give something handmade and wonderful), I’m working on a good explanation for making them easily. There’s actually a very good explanation online that another sewer made that I want to share, but I’m trying to foolproof the technique a little bit to help everyone have maximum success. I hope to have that info up next week.

In the meantime, check out my pep talk and accompanying how-to video on threading your sewing machine.

In fact, if you love to sew, or would love to get better, consider joining the site/forum patternreview.com. I’m more of a “lurker” there rather than an active participant, but I love getting the discounts on patterns (with way more choices than the Big 3), have taken online classes with some great teachers (Shannon Gifford teaches there, and is an excellent sewing teacher–so generous with her time), and receive an email every day filled with pattern reviews from other sewers.

These reviews are a great way to learn about good/bad patterns, see how different people make the same pattern, and learn tons of nifty tips and tricks as people share great zipper insertion techniques, waistband workarounds, and more. It’s a big community of sewers ranging from raw beginners to seriously advanced experts. Check it out here:  http://patternreview.com

That’s It!

Have a great weekend and don’t forget to order up your Glitter Decoupage Ornament kits–Christmas is just around the corner!

Are you making any gifts this year? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear!

Seriously.

Once you realize it’s no big deal, it completely changes your relationship with your machine, because you’re no longer scared of it.

You don’t have to conquer all the basics of sewing to enjoy your machine. But if you stop dreading changing your thread, you’ll start using your sewing machine as a creative tool (yay!) and actually enjoy it. Big projects and small–white thread and black. You won’t care, because changing your thread is super easy.

So set your timer for 20 minutes , park yourself in front of  your sewing machine and just try it. (Believe me, this is better than waiting to try it once you’re in the middle of a project that you care about, are in a giant hurry or both. And weirdly, those things always seem to go together…)

You’re Not Alone–Because I’m Here in Video Spirit!

To reduce the pain and suffering of this task, I’ve created a video (below) of how I thread my own machine, refill my bobbin, and draw up the bobbin thread. Maybe watch it a couple-three times before working with your machine. I hope it functions like a fabulous bravery pill that enables you to give yours a go.

There is One Other Teeny-Tiny Thing

I must admit that you’ll still kind of need your manual so you can figure out exactly how to do it on your particular machine. I know, you hate the thought of reading the manual–you sort of hate me right now for just saying the word “manual”. Don’t worry, I get it. I also hate reading any manual. (Just ask my husband. He’s somewhere rolling his eyes right now at the thought of me reading a manual!)

But you’re not really reading the manual, you’re just following the little (well, sort of little ) diagram for threading your machine. Ignore the rest.

And all that mumbo jumbo in there will make more sense this time anyway (after watching my video), so thank goodness for that. Because even though our machines are set up a little differently from each other, the principles behind how they work are the same. So your bobbin might be side loading, or you might have a few more curlique bits that your thread has to go through, but it’s all little details. Deep inside, our machines were separated at birth.

So watch my video, find your timer, and get your brave on:

And after that timer rings, lean back, unclench your shoulders, breathe, and bask in the golden light of your courage–you did it! And if you don’t have it quite figured out yet, that’s okay, too, because you’re  a lot closer than you were 20 minutes ago.

One Last Truism

The only other thing you need to do is not put your machine away. A sewing machine needs to be out. Okay, you can put the cover on it if you want, but don’t put it in the closet. If it’s in the closet, it’s as good as gone.  Remember, if you didn’t want to sew something, you wouldn’t have a sewing machine!

Did you try this and it worked? Leave a comment and let us know! Still struggling? That’s okay, let’s commiserate! Are you a great sewer who can attest to how easy it is to change your thread and how much fun it is to sew–leave a comment for your fellow creatives who are new to sewing to inspire them!
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