My Sewing Story

In 2015, I moved into a house with a ton of windows that needed window treatments. I learned how to make roman shades. I fell in love with the process, the weighty fabrics, and the precision needed in measuring and stitching. When I had finished the shades, I knew I still wanted to work with home decorator fabric. I started making one-of-a-kind throw pillows, and then aprons, when I came up with a unique design for a reversible style. That’s when I started Bumbleroot Design, in November 2017. This led to making handbags and wallets.

Somewhere along the line, I discovered a love of vintage sewing machines, and learned how to repair, fix, and service them myself. I use them exclusively! My oldest machine is from 1915, and my newest is from the 70’s. I love the look of older machines, the click-clack sound they make when sewing, and knowing that they have a history. I look at my machines and wonder, “What did you sew before? What have you lived through?”

Why Two Brands?

TinaLucia and Bumbleroot Design actually go hand-in-hand! In May 2019, after a few months of making handbags and wallets for local retail, I started designing and drafting my own bag patterns. My first pattern was the Leelana Crossbody, and is a double-compartment bag. Under the Bumbleroot Design name, I write, illustrate, and publish sewing patterns for other artisan bagmakers. I’ve started to create custom fabric prints, which will also fall under the Bumbleroot Design brand.

I still love to create bags for local retail, too! All of my finished products are branded with my TinaLucia logo. Going forward, they will feature my fabric prints, as well as being my custom bag designs.

Do You Ship or Take Custom Orders?

At this point, the answer is no to both.

My goal has always been to stay local, so widespread online shops like Etsy are not my target market. I love the concept that small, local businesses are associates rather than competitors. We need to support each other. For local customers that prefer to buy online, I have a storefront on Beyond Main. Here in Summit and other local towns, Beyond Main presents a united space for local shoppers.

As for custom work, I work best when I can create what’s in my head. I choose fabrics and materials based on more than just color. The texture, the sound, how it moves. The ideas in my mind are unlimited, while taking custom orders puts limitations to my creativity.