MODKIDBOUTIQUE: Carla Crim

Showing posts with label Carla Crim. Show all posts

Road Trip Pattern Club

Join us for a sewing adventure and travel around the country with your favorite pattern designers! The Road Trip Pattern Club is an exciting collaboration between 5 of the top sewing pattern designers in the industry. Every three weeks from late May through August, club members will receive an exclusive brand new PDF sewing pattern delivered directly to your inbox.

There are 5 travel inspired patterns that include bags, accessories and women’s clothing, ranging in skill from confident beginner to intermediate. The designs will be a mystery until they are revealed at each road trip “destination” every 3 weeks. We promise they will be worth the wait! The patterns will be exclusive to the club for the duration. Even if you join after the club begins, you will receive all patterns released to the club up until that point.

We’re so excited for you to join us!

The first pattern is being released on Tuesday May 27, followed by 4 more patterns revealed every three weeks through August. The one-time membership fee for the club is $35 for all 5 patterns.

To register for the club click on the ‘Add to Cart’ button, and you will be to purchase your membership via Paypal. Patterns are downloaded as PDF files and will include detailed instructions, illustrations/photos, and templates needed to make the project. After you complete your payment, the pattern download links are automatically sent to your email on file with Paypal, so make sure that is up to date before purchase.

About the Pattern Designers

Our journey starts with Betz White in Maryland. You’ll love the new pattern she has planned and it’s perfect for a weekend get-away. Betz is the first stop on the road trip so you won’t have to wait long to see it!

Next stop: Patty Young in Illinois. Patty of MODKID is a well established pattern and fabric designer known for her bold designs and colorful palette. Her design for the club is something that will take you from hotel to pool in style.

We’ll head north to Carla Hegeman Crim in Upstate New York. Carla, of the Scientific Seamstress, has a thriving sewing pattern business. Carla’s design for the club is something easy-breezy to get you through a long hot summer.

Next we’re bound for New York City for a visit with veteran pattern designer Liesl Gibson of Oliver + S, Liesl and Co., Lisette and Straight Stitch Society. Liesl knows it’s the little things that matter and her design will help you keep track of them.

Carolyn Friedlander in Florida is our final destination! Carolyn, a quilt and fabric designer, travels frequently to teach quilting and sewing classes. Her pattern design for the club is sure to help you sew on the go.

Don't miss out on this exciting pattern club.
Join us today!

Essential Sewing Reference Tool
Book Review (and giveaway) by Patty Young and Emalee Grambo

***UPDATE: this contest is now CLOSED. The winner was.... Susan Bates! Congrats!***

If sewing is your "thing", then I'm sure you've heard of Carla Crim, a.k.a. The Scientific Seamstress. The girl is a friggin' genius... as in, she has a Ph.D in Molecular Biology! She is also one of the most clever and funny people I have ever met and vertically challenged, just like me, so when we run into each other at sewing events, we usually stick together!

Well, I was thrilled when Carla asked me to review her latest book, Essential Sewing Reference Tool, because I knew it would blow me away, like everything she does. A small part of me was even giddy that I got to receive an advance copy because I knew this was the sort of book I would come back to reference over and over again. And boy, was I right! Pssst... you can also enter to win a free copy by leaving a comment below this review!

But let's get right to it. My assistant, Emalee, and I are co-reviewing this book for you today. We decided to do this in tandem because I thought you guys would enjoy getting some different perspectives coming from two totally different points of view.

I will go first. The book starts out with what I like to call the hardware... everything you ever needed to know about sewing machines, cutting tools, notions of every imaginable kind, pins, needles and threads, oh my! Then it goes into techniques. What would you like to learn about? Machine stitches, hand stitches, seams, hems, maybe even some stuff you've never heard of (hello there, Hong Kong Finish!)? Well, it's all here, and then some! Wanna know how to make your own bias tape or piping, install zippers, make buttonholes? Well, this is the book for you!

But, perhaps, the section I was most excited to delve into was the garment-making and pattern sections. Well, after having been designing sewing patterns for over 7 years, I have amassed a huge quantity of reference materials, from sizing charts to measurement conversions... some of them are bookmarked on my browser, others are printed out and filed away. But, whenever I need to look something up, I invariably always forget where I've saved it. Well, who needs Google, when you've got the Essential Sewing Reference Tool at your fingertips? If you are a beginner pattern-maker, this will be an invaluable tool to have... oh how I wish I had this book way back when I was just starting out!

Now, on to Emalee's review. Hers is less conversational, and more to the point (bullet-pointed and all!):

Visually appealing
Covers every area of sewing industry: Bed sizing, pillow sizing, curtains, bed skirts, table cloths, placemats, belts, bags, garment construction…
Pg. 46: Her way of cutting bias tape is a helpful reference.
Pg. 47 and 48: Awesome new way to do continuous bias tape!
Zipper instructions are always helpful to beginners.
Pg 70: Her instruction to place a toothpick under a button when sewing is great! Never heard of that!
Pg. 89: Hemming a Tablecloth! Never knew that either and that is awesome!
The sizing charts and number conversions are super helpful to have.
This book has every reference you could ever need all under one cover!

Well, there ya have it, folks! I hope this review was helpful to you. And many kudos to my friend, Carla Crim, for a most excellent reference tool that we will surely use for years to come!

GIVEAWAY!!! If you would like to enter the giveaway and receive your very own copy of the Essential Sewing Reference Tool, please leave me a comment below. We would love to know: Are you new to sewing, or pattern-making, and are looking for a book to help you kick start your business? Or are you an old pro just looking to have all those helpful reference materials in one spot? Make sure you leave us a way to contact you if you win (email, clickable link, etc.). We will draw a winner on Wednesday, March 19th.

***UPDATE: this contest is now CLOSED. The winner was.... Susan Bates! Congrats!***

Sewn Hats Book Tour and Giveaway

I am so thrilled to tell you about this exciting new book that I've had the pleasure of contributing to. Sewn Hats is a collection of 35 hat patterns contributed by industry experts and curated by Carla Crim, a.k.a The Scientific Seamstress.

People are often curious about how long things take in this industry. I get that question repeatedly... how long does it take for a fabric collection to come out? ... for a pattern to be produced? ... for a book to be published? Well, let me tell ya, it's a long time for patterns and fabric, but not nearly as long as it is for books! You really have to have patience in this industry (and that's definitely not my virtue!). I was curious about how long this one took, because Sewing MODKID Style seemed to take forever and a day. Well, I was originally approached by Wiley on January 5, 2011 to ask if I was interested in contributing to Sewn Hats. WOW, that's exactly a year and 8 months ago! But let me tell you, it was well worth it! This book is spectacular!

When I first got the book in my greedy little hands last Thursday, I was immediately surprised by three things:

First, the book has 35 patterns, people! WOW! I know, from personal experience, all the work, time and effort that goes into each and every project of a book like this, so to see this times 35 is truly exceptional... and unusual! Talk about bang for your buck!
My pattern is the first one in the book! I also know, from personal experience, that I usually end up last because my last name starts with a Y, haha! Well, I guess they weren't going alphabetically this time. ;)
Lastly, I was not aware until I held the book in my hands, of just who all had been contributing to this little masterpiece. Seriously, this list reads like a who's who in our industry. These are fellow designers and authors who I have loved and admired for quite some time... Joanna, Mary, Betz, Melissa, Jennifer, Bari and so, so many more! Not to mention Ms. Carla herself! I am not worthy!!

So, without much further ado, let me present to you my own project for this book, which I titled, Sunny Days Hat. As the title describes, it's a sweet little sun hat with a ruffled brim and a decorative ribbon detail that weaves in and out of the hat. But the best part is that since it has no visible seams the hat is fully reversible! So you can use different fabrics for each side and have a completely different look each time she wears it. It comes in 3 sizes, so it will grow with her.

Here are some of the photos we took for the project. These first 2 were shot at the Missouri Botanical Gardens:

And these three were shot here at Modkid. You may recognize that sweet little blond girl, Elizabeth, from two of our most recent patterns, Chloé and Hannah. Boy, how much she's grown! She was only 3 then! And look how short Sydney's hair was! It's halfway down her back now. :)

So... I hope you enjoyed this little tour of Sewn Hats. Do you like to sew hats? Do you collect sewing books? What's your favorite thing to sew? Please leave us a comment and be entered to win your very own copy of the book, courtesy of Wiley Publishing. A winner will be announced a week from today, on Wednesday, September 12th, 2012. Please leave a way to contact you if you win. Good luck all!!

Follow along with the Sewn Hats Blog Tour:

9/4 - Scientificseamstress.blogspot.com

9/5 - Mod Kid Boutique

9/6 – FrenchGeneral.blogspot.com

9/10 – Pink Chalk Studio

9/11 - LuluBliss.com

9/13 – Green Bee Patterns

9/14 – Goosie Girl Boutique

9/17 – Melissa Lilac Lane

9/19 – OneGirlCircus.com

9/20 – Tie Dyed Diva Designs

9/21 – Figgys Patterns