Curry Bungalow's Annual Black Friday Pattern Sale starts NOW! All patterns, both printed and digital downloads are 25% off through December 2nd. These pretty and practical items make perfect gifts for your favorite person who sews, quilts or does any kind of needlework. And who doesn't love a beautiful handmade gift? See the available designs below. All can be purchased in my Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/currybungalow.

Nose to the Needle

I know!  I know! I've been basically missing in action for many months.  I generally do most of my blogging over at my other blog, "T. in the Burg", so you can catch up there if you like.  I've been busy working at making thread catchers to list in my shop for those looking for pretty and practical Mother's Day gifts.  I have some new fabrics as well as popular favorites.  All are available at my Etsy shop. Curry Bungalow and all include three cute flower pins to jazz up your pincushion.  

I'm having a BLACK FRIDAY through CYBER MONDAY sale! From November 25th to November 28th all Curry Bungalow Thread Catcher Patterns and Pattern/Supply Kit Combos will be listed at 20% off. There is still plenty of time to make fabulous Thread Catchers as gifts for family and friends. Just follow the link to the Curry Bungalow Patterns section of my Etsy shop.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CurryBungalow?section_id=13578309

Bees are Buzzin'!

It's Cherry Blossom Time here at Curry Bungalow!  The honey bees are happy and so am I!

Hello, SPRING!

Hello, SPRING!  I've missed you terribly!  While I was away at the coast for a few days, Spring happened!  We've had a lovely spell of warm days and light rain.  It is too early to say if we are out of the winter woods just yet, but I can feel my little corner if the world warming.  I love all seasons, but springtime at Curry Bungalow might just be my very favorite. Bulbs are blooming, cherry trees are budding and my first rose will be bursting momentarily.

Yo-yo Mania!

I have been playing around with an old design.  I had been making these yo-yo pincushions and thread catchers a few years ago, but stopped.  They are more than a bit labor intensive with all of those little yo-yo's around the pincushion.  But lately I have been loving making those little yo-yo's. I've sold a few of these items in my Etsy shop, Curry Bungalow and have plans to make a few more. They are very popular so far!  I've had a number of requests for the pattern and I probably would have written it by now, but for the life of me, I can't think of a snappy name for it.  The "Yo-yo Thread Catcher with Detachable Pincushion" has no pizazz whatsoever.  Any ideas?

These Civil War prints made up very nicely. Small prints work best for the pincushion and I like to add either a tiny vintage pearl bead or a little vintage button to the center of  each yo-yo. 

The Wet Pets

Sometimes I just HAVE to take a photo.  It looks as if our fish are airborne. Relaxing by the koi pond is one of my favorite things to do.  Watching the fish "fly" through the water is simply mesmerizing.

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!  This is a screenshot of what my shop looks like at this moment in time.  It is so very gratifying to see it finally completed and posted online.  I still need to add the posting for the single Supply Kit at my Etsy shop 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 and/or stall 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 design in the works!

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 www.currybungalow.etsy.com

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!

Win This Thread Catcher!

I am completely stuck and I need your help. My newest Thread Catcher pattern is just about finished, ready to publish, but I have no name for it. I have one name in mind... and that is as far as I have gotten. So I would like to enlist the aid of all of you. I promise, I will make it worth your while.

I need a snappy name, one that is kind of catchy and clever, and of course, one that is not someone else's product name. It needs to be something like this. "The _________ Thread Catcher with Detachable Pincushion". You fill in the blank.

Just send me an email at currybungalow@gmail.com with your suggestion by Monday, February 2nd, 2015. If I choose your suggested name as the winner, I will send you the actual thread catcher in the photo, a PDF copy of the new pattern and a supply kit to make your own thread catcher. The new name of the thread catcher, along with the name of the contributor will be featured here and on my blog, T. in the Burg. Such a deal, right?

So, put on your thinking caps, ladies! And feel free to share on Facebook and/or Pinterest. I need all of the help that I can get!

Where Have I Been?

I just realized that I have not posted here in many months.  How did that happen?  I do more in the way of posting over at my other blog, T. in the Burg and a little posting Curry Bungalow Facebook page, as well.  That is, when I am not either making items for my Etsy Shop or designing new patterns.

I've been warm and cozy in my little sewing room, whipping up more thread catchers.  I have a few new fabrics that I am excited about and hope that you like them, as well.  Head on over to my Etsy shop to see what I have made up.

www.etsy.com/shop/CurryBungalow

Our New Nosy Neighbors

They LOVE us!  Maybe it has something to do with carrots and apples...

Early Mornings at My House

Don't hate me because I get up early.  I say that sometimes and people act like they want to shoot me or something... I try to sleep in, really, I do!
But lying there in bed, trying to go back to sleep just makes me kind of crazy.

So this is what I do when I get up early.  I sew.  And sew, and sew.
 This morning it was just me, a hot cup of black coffee, the chatty old cat
and Breaking Bad-Season 5 on Netflix.

I have just listed these over at my Etsy Shop Curry Bungalow .  Take a look.
Maybe one of them will speak to you.

Just Spreading the Love!

I've been spreading the love, THREAD CATCHER LOVE, that is!  I was asked back for a second Thread Catcher Workshop Day at the Rustic Rooster Quilt Shop, and what a fun day we had!  I led two workshop sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  Everyone arrived with their fabrics cut and ready to sew.  I provided the pattern, a supply kit and lots of personal instruction.

These lovely ladies, they're sisters, are seen here, with their bags just completed.  They then moved on to finish the tile cover.

Check out that cute ladybug fabric and gingham print lining.  So cute!  It is such fun to see the fabric choices that everyone makes.

Almost finished.  It just needs the ladybug button in the center of the posy.

I was captivated by this little giraffe pincushion owned by one of the ladies.  She said that it was a thrift shop find.  Who could even think of letting this little gem go?!?

I had spent a good part of the day scoping out the inventory and picking out the fabrics that I wanted to purchase. 

I simply could not resist these yummy fabrics.  Who remembers when everyone had one of these funky alarm clocks on the bedside table?

I picked up some trims and zippers for future projects.

But I think that I am most excited about my new Karen Kay Buckley Curved Scissors!  I had a hard time resisting taking them out of the package before photographing.   Karen's scissors are the best that I have ever found in all my years of sewing, and that's a lot of years!  They are super sharp and even better, they STAY sharp.  I have had my large ones for about four years and after tons of use, they are still as sharp as the day I got them.  

Here is my KKB scissors family, all lined up and looking good.  I love them all!

We had so much fun at our Thread Catcher Workshop that the shop owner, Trina, has scheduled me for another Workshop Day in July, this time on a Saturday so that ladies who work can attend.  

I'm just spreading the love!

Hello, SPRING!

I know that it is not Spring in many parts of the country, but SPRING is bustin' out all over here at Curry Bungalow, and I am pretty darned happy about that.  Spring has not made a warm and wonderful appearance.  It has been more of an early and damp beginning, but we will take it any way that we can get it, if you know what I mean.

When I have not been working in the yard, I have been making Thread Catchers.  I've missed working on these little gems.  I cut out and prepped about 12 of them and have just posted these six at my Etsy Shop, Curry Bungalow .  More to come within the next few days, hopefully.  I am thinking that these would make really great Mother's Day gifts and I am offering them now because I will be having a very busy month in April and will probably not be doing much sewing, so get them while they're hot!

New Fabrics!

I've been having tons of fun with some NEW FABRICS!  These five Thread Catchers were just listed moments ago at my Etsy Shop, Curry Bungalow  .  I am trying to break out of my floral box and use modern prints.  These above in the larger picture are positively delicious!  They are from the "Florence" line by Denyse Schmidt. This one just might be my new most favorite!, well... until I make the next one.

Picture Perfect

We've had a bit of snow here at Curry Bungalow.  Not a huge amount, but enough to make the view from the window in my sewing room look something like a Currier and Ives print.  The only thing missing is the sleigh!  That is the Callahan range to the West in the center of the photo, snow covered and beautiful!  It is a rare treat for us to have snow that falls, sticks, and STAYS!

Hello, Everyone,

I have been contacted by a number of people who are interested in purchasing my items for holiday gifts.  It seems that there is quite a demand out there for my little sewing accessory!

Today I posted four new items and will keep my nose to the needle as much as I can to meet the seasonal demand.  You can view my items at my Etsy Shop, appropriately named Curry Bungalow .

Thanks for visiting and check back for more new items.  I will post them as I complete them.

Sheesh!!!!!

I have spent the entire afternoon photographing and posting 

five new Thread Catchers at my Etsy Shop.

Seriously... I'd rather make them than post them. The good news is that I decided to break into some of my new fat quarter bundles instead of just gazing lovingly at them.  Love the two new lines that I am working with!

OOOPS! One just sold! Make that FOUR new Thread Catchers!

My Dreamy Dresden Thread Catcher Pattern is Now Available!

My Dreamy Dresden Thread Catcher Pattern in now available for Instant Digital Download at my Etsy shop,   Curry Bungalow. 

Can I just say here,... I am exhausted!  Tough work, this pattern writing stuff is!  I had set a proposed release date of June 15th, which seemed entirely possible when I set the goal, but as it got closer and closer, I was putting in more and more hours, finessing the text, color correcting the photographs and designing the cover. 

My younger daughter, known here in Blogland as Butterfly, who is a super-talented graphic designer, designed the cover for my Sew In Style Thread Catcher Pattern.  Well, she is up to her eyeballs in freelance graphic design work at the moment and I did not want to lay one more thing on her plate.  So I decided to take the plunge and design the cover page myself.  I did email her my various cover designs and she gave me her input.  As I kept sending her more modifications and variations, she finally told me to just let it be, to go with the first clean and uncluttered design that I had done and to just quit noodling the cover to death. 

Phewwww!!! I am so glad that the pro told me to give it up.  I would probably still be working on the cover... and would not have had the pattern up and listed a full 24 hours before my projected release date.  Thank you, Butterfly, for slapping me to my senses,...but in a very professional way, of course.

I hope that you will enjoy this pattern as much as I do.  The big fun for me is in combining the fabrics.  But I also love making these for gifts.  Imagine, a stunning handmade gift for family and friends for under $20.00!  And that's just for the first one that includes the pattern.  For successive thread catchers, the cost can drop to about half of that price! Get ready to be making these for all of your creative friends and family.

Oh, and please, feel free to pin my thread catcher photo to Pinterest.  It will help my little "Bungalow Industry" immensely if you do.  Thanks so much.  And if you make your own Dreamy Dresden Thread Catcher, please post your own creation on the Curry Bungalow Facebook Page.  

HAPPY SEWING!

My Sew In Style Thread Catcher Pattern Has Launced!

This is the story of 

"The Little Thread Catcher That Could"  

The Pattern Cover Page

You, too, can make your very own Thread Catcher!

The Oh-So-Practical Detachable Pincushion

Woo-Hoo! My long awaited Sew In Style Thread Catcher pattern is finally finished and has just  been pushed from the nest.  Lets's hope that it has wings! I am SO doing the Happy Dance!

It is available for  INSTANT DIGITAL DOWNLOAD at my Etsy Shop, Curry Bungalow.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CurryBungalow

The whole Instant Digital Download thing at Etsy is kind of a new thing, from what I hear.  That means that you get your pattern within minutes of purchase, rather than whenever the seller sends it out to you.  How cool is that?

As I have mentioned previously, it is not such an easy a task to write down how it is that you construct an item.  I feel as if I could make one of my Thread Catchers in my sleep, I've made so many!  But putting that all in to words is not as simple as it might seam.

So please, feel free to "Pin" to Pinterest, post to Facebook, tell your friends and pass the word.  It is, after all, because of the interest from all of you that I was motivated/compelled to actually write this pattern.

Have you got a minute here?  I just want to tell you how this all came about.

I was just cruising along, selling a few Thread Catchers on Etsy and posting my thread catchers on my blogs,
www.tintheburg.blogspot.com and www.currybungalow.blogspot.com, when people began “pinning” them to Pinterest.  All of a sudden, my blog hits went through the roof!

Flashback to late March 2013... I had just mentioned to Mr. T., (He’s my sweetie of 43, count ‘em, 43 years!) that I had a total of over 5000 hits on my Blog!  I was feeling pretty happy about that.  Then something crazy happened.  Since late March, my Blog hits have gone from a very respectable 5000 to nearly 87,000!  And those hits are almost all driven by Pinterest pins!

People began to email me, asking me if they could buy the pattern.  Well… I didn't have a pattern, other than what was in my head.  So I set about putting it all down into a Word document, which was later converted to a PDF file, and I am feeling pretty good about what I have produced.  I am betting that all of you are going to love making your own Thread Catchers, and then, you are going to make them as gifts for people that you care about. It seems impossible to make just one!

Along with the pattern, I am also offering a supply kit that includes all of the items, minus your choice of fabrics, thread and the button for the posy, needed to make this item.  I will discount the kit if you purchase the pattern and the kit at the same time.

For those of you who are interested in the pattern for the thread catcher with the Dresden block applied to the top, I am already working on that pattern.  It should go together much faster that this one,  since most of the work is already done.  As I am so fond of saying, please STAY TUNED!

I must extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have waited so very patiently for this, for those of you who have contacted me and for “Liking” Curry Bungalow on Facebook.  I am over the moon and inside out that you love my little sewing accessory!  It's "The Little Thread Catcher That Could" !

And that just shows.... "The Power of the PIN" !

Lilac Time

It's LILAC TIME here in Southern Oregon. I walk outside and breathe deeply, just to take in their delicious scent.  I can hardly stand to be indoors, well... unless it's raining.  But then, it's the rain that makes this such a beautiful place to live.  I keep telling myself that when I feel as if moss is growing on my North side because the climate is so damp.

More Thread Catchers

I think that I am on to something!  I absolutely cannot keep my Thread Catchers in my Etsy Shop! They sell as soon as I post them with one this morning being snapped up eight whole minutes after posting.

This crazy thing happened.  A couple of my "pins" were picked up on Pinterest from my other blog , T. in the Burg, and my Etsy shop kind of blew up!  I am getting thousands of blog hits per day and tons of interest and inquiries at my Etsy shop.  Who knew that a little sewing accessory would have such an impact?

I am writing the pattern for those who would like to make their own and will have it available soon.  Thanks to everyone who has expressed their interest in my product.  Bet you can't make just one!

  Another Dresden Dream Thread Catcher along

                      with it's pretty pincushion.

                                               

These delicious Joel Dewberry
"Notting Hill" fabrics make up so beautifully",
a very popular model of mine....

And another popular design in fabrics by
Holly Holderman.

New fabrics from the Moda "Honey Honey" line
by Kate Spain.  So pretty!