Just In Case...

Just in case you wondered how my new Larkspur fabrics made up into new Sew Sassy Thread Catchers, here are a couple of photos.  They're just plain bee-yoooo-teeee-ful!

Interestingly, when I first looked at these fabrics, I thought that it was going to be the light aqua blue floral in the top photo that was going to be my favorite.  Don't get me wrong.  It's VERY pretty.  But as it turns out, it is the warm grey color, called "Cobblestone" by the designers that is my very favorite!  It's divine!

Available in my Etsy shop, Curry Bungalow

My Lucky Valentine

My Mr. T. knows that he's a lucky guy.  He's married to me..., but that's just ONE of the reasons that he's so incredibly lucky.

He knows that FABRIC makes me happy, lots and lots of fabric, and he never, ever takes issue with my many purchases.  Heck, he probably thinks that I could be crazy for DIAMONDS or something! He's getting off cheap! But it's fabric that makes my heart go pitter-patter.  Well, and him, of course.  Although we did not "know" each other as children, we did attend the same schools from elementary through high school.  I remember him from when I was 10 years old.  He was the tallest (and handsomest...) boy at at Peachland Elementary.  We started dating when I was 18 and he was 19 and he has been my Valentine ever since, 47 whole years worth.  That's some kind of a record/miracle these days. We like to say that we grew up together because we were such incredible BABIES when we got married!

But I degress.  I wanted to show you my new fabrics. I always look ahead at the various lines scheduled for release and have been waiting for this one.  It is the new "Larkspur" line by 3 Sisters for Moda.  I have been searching for a line with the same feeling as the old Moda, "Luna Notte" line. Do you remember it?  It had beautiful soft colors, lovely prints and a bit of a vintage feel, which I totally love.  I've had wonderful success selling thread catchers made from those fabrics.  But alas, there appears to be very little left on the planet probably because I purchased most of it! When I saw the photos for "Larkspur", I knew that it was the perfect line for more thread catchers using my Sew Sassy Thread Catcher pattern like this one.  I will be getting started with my new Larkspur fabrics this afternoon, but I had to lay them out and just gaze lovingly for a moment. Ahhhhhh!, such a feast for the eyes...

Tutorial - Make Your Own Iron-On Fabric Labels

I wanted to share with you how I make my own iron-on fabric labels.  These labels are probably not suitable for items that need laundering, (SEE UDATE BELOW) but they work great for that professional finishing touch for my thread catchers.

I use June Tailor Colorfast White Printer Fabric, shown here.  I purchase the 10 pack and ALWAYS use my 50% off coupon at JoAnn's.  This package yields 360 labels!

The next step is to print the labels.  I created a document in Word with four columns.  I lined up my little Curry Bungalow logo in the four columns, evenly spaced.  I put the fabric paper through my printer and this is what my label sheet looks like.  Always press thoroughly with a dry iron after printing to set the ink.  These labels can handle some moisture. I actually saturated a label and the ink did not bleed, but I have not attempted to launder anything with a label on it.

Now, it took some trial and error to figure out how to best attach my labels to the back of a thread catcher.  Once the stabilizing paper is removed from the fabric, you just have, well...  just fabric.  I needed something to make my labels into iron-on labels.  I hit upon the idea of using HeatNBond Ultrahold on the back. You can purchase it in small packages, a five yard roll or as yard goods on a bolt.

I press my printed fabric page onto a piece of HeatNBond cut to the same size as my page.  At this point, I thought that I had the whole iron on label thing covered, but my finished labels were a bit see through with the fabric print on my thread catchers showing through the label.  I wanted something less transparent. After removing the paper backing from the HeatNBond, I pressed it to a sheet of white printer paper.  So again, I have a great label, it has a nice crisp feel to it, the fabric does not show through, but it has a paper backing.  It's back to the HeatNBond for one last layer pressed onto the back of the paper.

One more time, in a nutshell. I have the printed fabric paper as the first layer.  Remove it's paper backing and press onto a sheet of HeatNBond.  Remove the paper backing from the HeatNBond and press to a sheet of white printer paper.  Press the printer paper to another sheet of HeatNBond and your label sheet is complete.

The next step is to cut the labels.  I draw lines between the columns with a heat sensitive Frixion pen. 

Then cut the labels into horizontal strips using the rotary cutter.

I like to use my 3mm scalloped pinking shears to get the cute little scalloped edge for my labels. Yes, I could just cut them straight with regular scissors, but these look so much CUTER! Lightly press with the iron if any of the Frixion marks remain after cutting.  

Press these fabric labels onto your product and when I say press... I mean PRESS!  Do not move the iron back and forth.  If you do, the layers of the label may separate with the heat being applied.  Give it a really good pressing, then let the label cool. 

I hope that you have enjoyed this little tutorial.  Again, these labels will not work for everyone or for every product, but they are the perfect branding solution for Curry Bungalow!

UPDATE - Since posting this tutorial, I have done some experimentation to see if my labels are indeed colorfast.  I laundered a label and was pleased to see that there was absolutely no fading of the printer ink. None at all!  But... and there is always a "but", isn't there?  The paper backing that I ironed on to make the label more opaque did not fare so well.  This issue would be easily corrected by adding another layer of the fabric printer sheets rather than the card stock.  

And because I can never just leave anything alone... I have begun stitching around my labels before I iron them onto my product to give the appearance that they are actually sewn on.  That's just another little touch to make a better and more professional looking finished product.  

Winning!

Are you one of those people who never win anything? Well, so am I. So, imagine my surprise when I found an email waiting for me this morning from Kate Spain, yes, THAT Kate Spain, informing me that I had won a giveaway on her blog, "The Drawing Board".  See it here. 

http://katespaindesigns.blogspot.com

Kate, (I call her Kate because we are just that familiar, don't you know...) had a giveaway for a lovely fabric bundle and quilt pattern. To enter, readers were asked to comment about what they were doing for someone else this holiday season. I posted my comment and read the others. Lots of great ideas and I have copied and saved a few that appealed to me. My comment was chosen randomly and I won the bundle! Over seven delicious yards of fabric plus the pattern!  What a nice surprise.  

And for the record, our family really did have great fun buying gifts for the three foster kids that we "adopted".  They are a five year old girl, a three year old boy and a two year old girl.  It was a real FEEL GOOD project and we are already making plans to do it again next year. 

Wishing each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Total Deliciousness !

I could be putting up our Christmas tree and doing other decorating, but what am I doing?  Making thread catchers, of course.  I have new fabrics and when that happens, everything else is put on hold.

I just bought the new "Hyde Park" line from Blackbird Designs.  The soft and understated colors made up beautifully in my Sew Sassy design.

And... I am still making yo-yo's.  The navy blue one in "Gooseberry" fabrics is just too cute for words.  Just listed in my Etsy shop, Curry Bungalow

Big Wide World !

Have you noticed that I have installed FEEDJIT, a little live feed tracker on the right side of this page, just under "About Me?  It shows where the readers of T. in the Burg are located at any given moment.  I pop in every now and then, just to see where my readers are located.  I am always astounded to see that I have blog visits from places that I have never even heard of!

Here is what my feed looks like as I am writing at this very moment.

The next time I look at my feed it will be completely different.  I almost always have a viewer or two from Texas, but none right now.  Hey, Ladies in Texas!  Where are you today?

Too Cute!

You know how I love getting new fabrics, right?  I've just picked up fabrics from the brand new "Hazel" line from Cluck Cluck Sew.  Oh, my goodness, they're cute!  Can't wait to try another in a different colorway.  Just listed moments ago in my Etsy Shop, Curry Bungalow.

Same Town, Different Place...

We woke to a different town this morning, not the same town that we woke up in yesterday.

This blog is titled, "T. in the Burg".  The word "Burg" is for Roseburg.  Roseburg, Oregon is where Mr. T. and I have lived for eight years.  We are a sleepy little town in south west Oregon, formerly known as a timber town, but with the downturn in the timber industry, Roseburg is fighting it's way back to economic health through the wine industry and tourism.

Mr. T. and I watched the horror of the shooting at Umpqua Community College unfold yesterday, October 1st, as we listened to the police scanner and saw updates on TV.  How could something like this happen in our community?  Big city madness had come to our Burg.

We are so proud of our first responders, the staff at Mercy Hospital and our County Sheriff, John Hanlan, who refuses to utter the name of the shooter.  He vows to give him no publicity, the thing that he wanted most.

Within a short time after the shooting, funds to help victims had been set up at local banks, food and drink were sent to the Fairgrounds where UCC students had been bussed, blood donation sites were set up, a candlelight vigil was organized.  Roseburg is demonstrating that it is a small community with a very big heart.

We are a different town this morning.

Matchy-Matchy

Each time that I choose fabrics for a new thread catcher, I imagine how the fabrics will look alongside a sewing machine.  Most times, the imaginary sewing machine is white, but sometimes I imagine a black machine, or even a red sewing machine.  As I have mentioned previously, I have that Matchy-Matchy thing going on.  I can't help it.  That's how I am wired.  I wonder what sort of machine this little cutie will sit beside...

I made a few of this design a couple of years ago but stopped selling them in my Etsy Shop, Curry Bungalow, because they were quite labor intensive with all of those little yo-yo's ringing the pincushion.  Interestingly... this design is the most viewed sold item in my Etsy Shop with tons of views each day, coming from Pinterest, I suspect.  

I recently had a custom order request for this design and made one up for my buyer.  I found that making those little yo-yo's was kind of enjoyable!  I can make enough for one pincushion in just over one hour of evening TV.  And the wonder is that I am actually able to stay awake!  

I've had a number of requests for the pattern.  We'll see how these sell.  I just might have to consider writing it!

Missing in Action

Are you, like me, asking yourself, "Where has the summer gone?"  Mr. T. and I were just reminiscing about how when we were kids (we actually attended the same elementary school...) that the summer just seemed to go on an on endlessly!  Not so these days.  I blinked... and now it's nearly the end of August!.

I've not been idle, just not blogging.  Mr. T. and I spent a good part of our summer so far getting our yard in order.  It had become more than a little overgrown without our realizing it.  We were cutting and trimming and digging and thinning and not making a whole lot of progress.  Then Mr. T. did a wonderful thing.  He hired the gardeners from next door!  Without my knowing, he'd walked over and talked to them and hired them on the spot.  These two fellows are ridiculously hard workers and have taken care of all of the big stuff.  I don't think that I have ever been so happy to write big checks! There is just a bit more work to do around the koi pond and they will be finished.  And we have our beautiful yard back.  Mr. T. and I can handle it from here on.

Happy Koi, looking like flying fish.

Meanwhile, I'm still making thread catchers and working on, OK,.. just thinking of working on a couple of new patterns.  I just purchased fabrics from the brand new line "Gooseberry", from Lella Boutique.  They're so DELICIOUS that I can hardly stand it.  Lucy loves them, too.  Looks like she has a new best friend.  Just listed at my Etsy shop, Curry Bungalow .

And another in a different colorway... TOO CUTE!

Lost and Found

Have you ever thought that something was lost and gone forever, then it just magically turned up? That's what happened yesterday.  I made this Feathered Star quilt for our son, known here in Blogland as the G-Man, when he was about 11 years old.  This quilt was on his bed from boyhood on into adulthood.

We were certain that the quilt was lost.  Actually, I was certain that his former girlfriend had helped herself to it.  I can stop being mad at her now.

It turns out that the quilt was packed in a box by Mr. T. shortly after we moved here to Curry Bungalow in 2007.   He had consolidated a lot of things from various boxes and hauled them up to the attic in the barn.  The quilt was in the box on the very bottom, in the very back.  Of course.

I washed the quilt and hung it outdoors from the deck cover to dry in the shade.  Naturally, I had to critique my work.  I noticed that the bottom edge is just a bit wavy.  I've learned since that time just how to keep that from happening. But my hand quilting is pretty darned good, if I do say so myself...

I blogged about the missing quilt here, over three years ago.  Yesterday, I texted our son and said, "Look what I found!"  He called right back (a rarity...)  and was completely astounded!  His girlfriend texted me this morning and said that she knew how much that quilt meant to him since she's been hearing about if for four years!

After all this time, that quilt is finding it's way back to him.  I love it when things like that happen. 

An Old Friend

I just made this pretty Thread Catcher.  I have not made one using my Dreamy Dresden Thread Catcher Pattern in months and months.  It was kind of like meeting up with an old friend again.  What is it about sewing those little bits of fabric together that I love so much?

Note to self... Make More!  Just listed in my Etsy Shop .

Got Batiks?

I've been playing around with the few batik fabrics from my stash.  I felt that my Sew Sassy Thread Catcher Pattern would make up really nicely with these fabrics and I wanted a Thread Catcher option that was a little more simplistic, less cute.  I don't generally work with batiks, but that's not to say that I don't like them.  Some of my quilting friends work exclusively with these fabrics and I drool a little bit when I see how beautifully they combine colors.

Batiks are lovely to work with.  They have a bit more body and a tighter weave than the usual quilting fabrics and they hold a crease like nothing else that I have sewn on.  I love the vibrant colors and subtle patterns.

I used a large covered button for the center of the pincushion.  Perfect!  For those of you who "don't do FLORAL", and you know who you are... this is the thread catcher for you!  My Sew Sassy Thread Catcher Pattern is available for download from my shops on Etsy and Craftsy  Just search "Sew Sassy Thread Catcher".

It Doesn't Take Much...

It doesn't take much to make me happy. A mail order package of a long awaited newly released fabric line is usually enough to send me straight to my sewing machine with a big smile on my face!

I just ordered these delicious fabrics by Zoe Pearn called "Summer Song 2".  I usually love everything that she does and these are no exception.  These two thread catchers went together beautifully, I think.  I did them in the same prints but in two different colorways.  I can't decide which one I like the best.  OK... I love them both!  Just listed at my Etsy shop, Curry Bungalow.

Hooray and Hallelujah !

I finally have my new SEW SASSY Thread Catcher Pattern completed and posted on Etsy and on Craftsy! It is so very gratifying to see it finally completed and posted online. This is a screenshop of how my Etsy shop looks at this moment in time.  I still need to add the posting for the single Supply Kit on Etsy, but for all intents and purposes, it is finally on it's way!

Feel free to share, tell your friends, post on Facebook and pin to Pinterest! 

You know... I learned a big lesson on this pattern. This one took WAY too long to complete and I have learned that I cannot pause while in the writing process. In the immortal words of Nike, I need to JUST DO IT!

I love the way that this design looks great with soft and subdued fabrics as well as brighter, bolder ones.  What's next?  I have more pattern designs in the works!

Moms and Mother's Day

I've been working hard at making Thread Catchers to keep up with demand for gifts for Mother's Day and I have just posted these five in my Etsy shop, Curry Bungalow .  As I write those words, "Mother's Day", I am wishing that my own mother was still living and that I could give her one of my Thread Catchers.  She's been gone for many years and I think about her every single day of my life. She is, of course, the one who set me on my way at the sewing machine.  She didn't teach me to sew, she led by example and offered encouragement and advice when needed.  I am convinced that her gentle way of helping me to learn is the reason that sewing has been one of my lifelong loves.  I like to think that she would be so very proud of me and my little Bungalow Business.  I owe it all to her... Love you, Mom...

Cuteness Overload!

Oh... my goodness!  How cute is this?  I have been waiting and waiting for these Moda "Feed Company" fabrics and just cannot keep my hands off of them!  Just finished this Sew Sassy Thread Catcher with Detachable Pincushion. Available at my Etsy Shop.

Raise Your Hand...

Raise your hand if this hits close to home.  Mr. T. and I had a big laugh at this one!

Beautiful Baby V.

Last July I blogged about my younger daughter, known here as Butterly.  She and I made a baby quilt for her friend Lesley, who was due to birth a baby girl in August.  We had tons of fun making that quilt and you can read about that process here.

Fast forward.  Butterfly is spending the week end at the beach with her very bestest friends from good ol' Placer High School where she finally got to meet Baby V.!  And, guess what traveled along with baby to the beach? The quilt that we made!  Butterfly finally got to hold that beautiful baby! She's in love... and she texted me this photo just now. She told me that the quilt, our quilt that we made together, is used and loved, words that warm my heart because that's what quilts are for, right?.  I always get a little emotional about babies, and I just had myself a moment here.. looking at this photo of Baby V. lying on those fabrics that we cut up and put back together with love in every stitch.

Like Birthing A New Baby!

Just put the finishing touches on my new Sew Sassy Thread Catcher Pattern cover design.  I hired an extremely talented Graphic Designer. OK,... she's my daughter, but she's still extremely talented!  I'm LOVING what she came up with for me.  The design is hip... happening... and just plain SASSY! I have a few steps yet to complete before I push this little bird from the nest and let it FLY!

The Bozz....

It was a sad day at our house today.  Bozz, my handsome but toothless tabby made his last trip to the vet for that little something to ease him to the other side.  He was just a few months shy of 17 years old.  Bozz was my Mother's Day gift back in 1998, chosen just for me by my son, who was 16 at the time, and Mr. T.  It was their big conspiracy, choosing a cat for me.  I had wanted my own cat for the longest time, and when they presented me with a mewing box on Mother's Day, I opened it and burst into tears.  Bozz purred from that first moment I picked him up and he purred up until he had no purr left.  

He was a gypsy cat, moving with us from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to Juneau, Alaska.  Then to the Georgia coast and on again to his last stop here in Oregon.  BIG MOVES, each one, but he was a trooper, even though he would scatter every time he heard the jingle of the truck keys.  He was pretty sure that meant that he was going for another long, long ride.  

He was never a lap cat, but if he felt like it he just might sit next to me.  But in the last 6 months he made it his business to be the lap cat that I had always wanted.  My butt would barely hit something solid before he was on my lap, and purring, of course.  

They say that all dogs go to heaven.  I'm hoping that there is also room there for my handsome old tabby.  Bozz liked dogs...

"L" is for Lumpectomy

Today I am spending the entire day in my pajamas, Christmas pajamas by the way.  I have parked myself in front of the fire, I am covered by a favorite old quilt, Rosie-the-Wonder-Dog is keeping me company and I have just finished my very first nap of the day. I actually have a bona fide reason for all of this laziness relaxation.  A Lumpectomy was performed yesterday on my right "Ta-ta" to remove something suspicious in a milk duct found on my recent routine mammogram.

I'm feeling pretty good today, under the circumstances, and I could probably be up and working, but I have decided to milk this a bit, no pun intended, and take a little time for myself.  My dear friend, Sharon W., whose Cranberry Walnut Relish is featured in the post below, advised me not to get dressed, do my hair or put on makeup because then everyone expects you to be just as you always are, taking care of things and getting the job done.  I can't very well be expected to work in my pajamas, now can I?

Yesterday was a busy day.  I had to be at the local imaging center in the morning where a wire was inserted into the area that the surgeon would be removing, sort of a "Dig Here" marker.  They had a little trouble finding just the right spot since I have what they termed, "a busy breast", meaning that there are lots of cysts and stuff in there.

I then got my first peek at the brand new gazillion dollar 3-D Mammography machine that has just arrived here in the Burg.  We are very lucky to have such new technology here in our small town. There were two mammogram films taken to be certain that the wire was in just the right place.

The wire had been wrapped in gauze and was taped down to my skin.  I was advised to travel braless over to the Surgical Center where the procedure was to be done.  I laughed and told the tech helping me that I had not gone braless since the late '60's.  She said, "Me neither!", then we both laughed uproariously!   Imagine the scene.... two 60-somethings standing in a tiny dressing room, me with a wire sticking out of my boob and both of us laughing like crazy about going braless.  Humor always helps at times like that.

Now, here comes the best part!  At the Surgical Center I was handed this huge paper gown to change in to.  I was escorted to a prep room and situated on the gurney.  My nurse, Julie, asked "Do you run hot or cold?" and I replied that I run on the cold side.  So she hooked up what looked like a vacuum cleaner hose to a port in my huge paper gown and then she turned on the warm airflow. Sweet Baby Jeepers!  My gown sort of inflated with wonderful warm air.  I was in heaven!

Fast forward.  The surgery is over, I am bound up with bandages and something that looks suspiciously like a TUBE TOP, this time from the '70's.  Another fashion blast from the past! Going braless AND a tube top, all in one day!

I was discharged and Mr. T. brought the car up to the secret door that leads to the street.  As we were driving home, Mr. T. told me that the surgeon had come out after surgery and spoken to him. He said (with that funny twinkle in his eye that tells me that he is about to deliver a zinger), that all went well and that the full pathology would be ready in about a week.  Then he says, "The surgeon said that your milk ducts were not the problem, the problem was in your MILK DUDS." Then he handed me this.

Maybe you had to be there.  Maybe you had to have just come out of anesthesia, but I laughed so hard that I nearly p.... well... suffice it to say that laughter really IS good medicine.

I love that man.

UPDATE - December 18th.

I am so happy and relieved to say that the pathology report has come in.  The letter for today is "C" for CARCINOMA.  But it's not a super bad kind.  My diagnosis is Ductal Carcinoma In Situ which means that it is contained within milk ducts and is not at this point invasive in any way.  I had been steeling myself for really bad news, (family history...) but that I have been assured that my diagnosis is not super serious.  I will be starting an estrogen suppressive medication soon and will continue to have regular diagnostic screenings.   I'm feeling so very grateful.

Now, everyone, go schedule your mammogram!