Sewing MODKID Style, Sneak Peek #3
A peek inside the book...

Friends, I was way overdue for another book sneak peek and with the book release date being only 4 short weeks away (eeek!) I knew I couldn't wait any longer. But then... an advance copy of the actual book showed up on my doorstep the other day so, after I squealed, hugged it, danced with it and ran around showing everyone I knew (or didn't know), I decided that this next sneak peek should be a look inside the actual book, instead of just showing still shots like I've been doing all along.

So, without much further ado, I present you, Sewing MODKID Style:



It is hard-cover, spiral bound, 160 pages and includes 20 projects for girls 2T -10, with full-size pattern sheets, detailed instructions, how-to diagrams and lots and LOTS of gorgeous full-color photos!

The first thing you'll see when you open the book is an envelope on the inside front cover which includes 9 full-size patterns sheets inside...



If you have used a MODKID sewing pattern before, you'll be pleased to know that the book uses the same size sheets, paper stock and drawing style of our existing patterns. And... something that will make all sewing enthusiasts happy: the patterns are printed on the front side of the sheets ONLY, and there is no overlapping of pattern pieces, so there is no need to copy or trace. I don't know about you, but that is my one of biggest pet peeves! I hate opening a pattern and finding the pieces all on top of each other or printed front & back. I was very adamant at the beginning of this process that the pattern sheets should be done EXACTLY like ours so our fans would have a sense of familiarity and comfort when working with them.



Another thing I should mention is that before I started doing what I do for a living now, I worked for 10 years at a printing/marketing company. Paper was my life even before fabric was my life. When we set out to produce our line of patterns, I sourced the perfect paper stock. This was very important to me and apparently it is to all of you out there too, because we get tons of compliments on our paper stock. Luckily for me (and for you), Wiley agreed to match our stock and size, so that makes me a happy camper! :)

But enough about the patterns, let's look further inside the book. The book is divided into 5 chapters, the first one being a Guide to Sewing with Knits, then the next 4 chapters being: Accessories, Bottoms, Tops and Dresses & Ensembles, respectively.



In the Guide to Sewing with Knits chapter, I not only give you a comprehensive guide on knit fabrics and show you how to sew with your serger or your sewing machine, but I also talk about all the different types of stretch trims you can use to embellish your garments... there are SO MANY!



And I talk about tools, tools, tools... all of my favorite ones!



The project chapters are written and illustrated just like my patterns, including sizing charts (for US and EURO sizes), how-to diagrams and tips & tricks galore. Even the Potty Girls make an appearance in each project!



Projects range from very easy to more challenging...



And I don't want you to think that I stopped at the simple leggings and t-shirt dresses. I also include projects to make with fabrics that most of you may not have sewn with before, like stretch velour, stretch velvet or stretch fleece...



And, of course, swimsuit lycras and dancewear fabrics, because why not make a complete wardrobe for every need?



I even have an adorable swim suit cover-up made with stretch terry!

At the back of the book, I included a glossary. Again, if you've even sewn with a MODKID pattern, then you know that all of our patterns come with a small glossary of terms in the inside back cover. It includes pretty much all the terms used in the instructions, in case you need to refer to them before sewing. Well, think of this as the MODKID Glossary on steroids! We went through the entire book and highlighted every term that we thought may need further explanation... it's all there!



Anyway... I hope you enjoyed this final sneak peek before the book comes out. I know I tend to get a bit wordy. ;) My next assignment is to shoot a promo video to be shown on Amazon. Wish me luck (I am super nervous about it!). The release date of the book is March 20th but I hear the people who pre-order it often times get it a tad sooner, so there ya go! :) See a list of retailers who have the book up for pre-order here. To see more photos from the book, click here and here.

Now, I'm off to listen to more music tracks for my promo video...

DIY V-Day Fortunes



Valentines Day is such a sweet holiday and my girls get so excited about passing out their valentines at their class parties. Since I'm not a huge fan of those store-bought, generic Valentines with the licensed characters, I always try to come up with a cute idea that we can make at home together with not a lot of time or money involved.

Last year I shared with you my Valentine Favor Box template, which was a huge success among my kids' friends and teachers, but this year I wanted to do something a bit different since they are not allowed to bring in chocolates due to peanut allergies. So, after a little trial and error, I came up with a new fun little project to do with them. This is certainly not a new idea... I've seen these "fortune cookies" done before several times, sometimes out of fabric, like in Kate's blog and sometimes out of felt, like in Martha's blog. In order to share a template online, I made mine out of card stock using some very sweet and girly designs from all my fabric collections, and they turned out oh so cute!!

The first thing you need to do is download my high-res template. Click on the image below, which will take you straight to Flickr. Download the largest file size (original file), which will be 8.5" x 11" at 300 d.p.i.


Print the file to your color printer at 100% on thick paper. I used 90lb. Index Card Stock from Office Max. NOTE: Your printer may tell you that the file is too big for your paper. That is OK! Do NOT "reduce" or "fit to page". There is a sizable white edge around the image, so your circles will not get cut off, I promise. I also printed the back side of my pages with a hot pink solid, so the insides of my fortunes would be colorful.



For the fortunes, I just typed a cute message and "signed" it from each of the girls so they would be personalized. The fortune papers are approximately 3" wide x 1/2" high. I was able to print both of my girls' entire class, including teachers, in 1 letter sized sheet! If you need a template to go by, you can use this one, then just change the names before you print!



After you have all your circles printed, proceed to cut them out around the edge. Your circles should be 4" wide.



Then, insert a fortune in the center of your circle and fold the circle in half, with the printed design on the outside.



Be careful not to crease that fold, just softly hold the edges of the circle together with your fingers.



Next, hold the edges of your circle using your thumb and middle finger, as shown below, so that you can push the center with your index finger.



Push the folded center on the circle in while bringing the two outer edges together until you form that fortune cookie shape.



Lastly, dab a dot of hot glue to hold those sides together. Otherwise, the paper will come undone right away and your fortune will fall out. Kate used twisty ties and Martha used floral wire, to help the fortune cookies hold their shape, but I didn't have either of those items on hand, so I found the hot glue works pretty well.



And VOILA! This is what they will look like when finished.



I have the first batch done now and I only spent a few minutes. Now, I'll wait for the girls to come home from school so they can help me assemble the rest. Sophie can cut, Sydney can fold and I'll be in charge of the glue gun. I predict we'll have them all done within a half an hour! :)



Enjoy!

WINNERS and another announcement

First of all I want to thank each and every one of you for the lovely comments regarding LUSH and our newest sewing patterns. Between our blog and Making It Fun, we received 685 comments and I read and enjoyed each and every one of them. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.

Without much further ado, I present you the three lucky winners, randomly chosen this morning from both blogs...

WINNER #1, who will receive 16 yards of fabric in the Sweet palette, is....

#127

Laura Ann Myers Jan 29, 2012 04:10 PM

I just love the Stargazers on the pink! WOW! I had those flowers at our wedding and they just make me weak in the knees! Simply amazing, job well done!

*****

WINNER #2, who will receive 19 yards of fabric from the Sunny palette, is...

#164

Shonda Jan 29, 2012 07:21 PM

These are beautiful prints, love them. My very favorite collection would have to be the Sunny Palette. LOVE LOVE LOVE those colors!!!

*****

WINNER #3, who will receive our four new MODKID sewing patterns, is...

#281 from Making it Fun

Kim Nugent said...

I love the new fabrics and the raincoat pattern! So perfect to brighten up rainy spring days.

February 3, 2012 8:36 PM

Congratulations to all!!! Please email egrambo@modkidboutique.com at your earliest convenience with your mailing address and Emalee will get your prize packages out to you a.s.a.p.

Now, I know a lot of you commented about wanting to see new laminates so you could sew our new Paige pattern as a raincoat, so here's our new announcement...



Yes, the new LUSH Laminates are now in stock at Michael Miller, so retailers, you can order those now. That is our Sun & Surf Tote there on the left, which we are currently using as a swim bag... how perfect it is to hold all those wet items! And of course, our Paige pattern looks adorable as a reversible rain coat... we are so ready for the rainy season!

And since we also heard from lots of you that you are dying to get the new MODKID patterns, I am thrilled to announce that all the patterns arrived at our warehouse last Thursday and pre-orders began shipping right away. They should be arriving at your favorite retailer this week, so go ahead and ask them if they have the new patterns coming. :)

Have a great week everyone!