Introducing: Primavera by Patty Young

I am over the moon excited to introduce my newest quilting cotton fabric collection I've designed for Riley Blake Designs titled, Primavera.

It was late January 2016 and I had been mulling over what the theme of my next fabric line would be for what seemed like days. When it's freezing out (I live in the frigid Midwest), I usually design bright, warm, happy fabrics, so I knew I wanted to do that again, but hadn't quite settled on any concrete ideas yet.

The night of January 28th, I had a bout of insomnia, as usually happens when I have a deadline looming. When I finally fell asleep, I dreamt about grasshoppers. It was such a vivid dream! And confusing as well, because I probably hand't seen a grasshopper in months, or at least since my last trip to Florida, which had been a while ago.

When I woke up, I looked up the significance of grasshoppers in dreams. Wikipedia said: When grasshoppers appear in dreams, these have been interpreted as symbols of "Freedom, independence, spiritual enlightenment, inability to settle down or commit to decision".

That last bit resonated with me and made me chuckle, given my current state of mind. So, I said to myself, "That's it, I'm drawing a grasshopper today!" And that's how this little dude came about.

Believe it or not, this little dude sat on my computer screen for a few more days all by his lonesome because I didn't know how he would fit into a fabric line. Eventually, I created a funky damask and sort of camouflaged him in it. 

I loved it, but still didn't know if Riley Blake would, So, I started drawing some flowers and other complimentary prints to show Riley Blake, still not knowing if my friend, the grasshopper, had a place in the line. By then, my creative juices were flowing beautifully. I was drawing, picking color palettes, and drawing some more. When I finally showed Riley Blake my concept for the line, I did not include my Mad Hopper. I'm not sure why. Maybe I was afraid they would find him odd or scary and kill the whole thing. This was my initial pitch, which Riley Blake accepted immediately.

When I finally had the whole line drawn out, my Mad Hopper found his place and I submitted him along with the rest of the prints, still thinking in the back of my mind that there was a possibility he would not make it. But he did!!

I named the line "Primavera", which means "Spring" in Spanish, as a nod to my Latin heritage, my desire for warmer temperatures, and my friend, the Mad Hopper.

I hope you love it as much as I do! The Primavera fabric has started shipping already, so it will be available very soon (if not now) in most independent fabric stores and online fabric retailers. 

It is available already on Etsy and at Hawthorne Threads.

Here is some inspiration to get your creative juices flowing (see end of post for a coupon code for any of these patterns).

Courtney sewed a Julia skirt and a Penny top for her youngest daughter, Tandy. This was for a pattern cover re-print. She used the Main Print in Teal for the skirt main fabric and the Paisley in Pink for the underskirt. The flower appliqué on the Penny shirt (template included in the Julia pattern) is made with the Paisley print in Green and Pink.

Courtney also made this adorable Dakota top for her oldest daughter, Avery, using the Tile in Tangerine print from Primavera. Learn how she made and attached the tassels in this easy tutorial.

And lastly, I made this modified Vivian Shirt for my daughter, Sydney, using the Plaid and Paisley prints in the Teal colorway. Learn how to modify the Vivian dress into a shirt in this easy tutorial.

More is soon to come, but for now, enjoy these and any other MODKID pattern at 25% off for a limited time! Coupon code PRIMAVERA2017 gets you 25% off PDF Patterns on our Etsy store and anything off our web store, including books, paper patterns and ribbon samplers. Code expires at midnight EST on January 21st, 2017. Happy Shopping!

MODKID Modified: Vivian Shirtdress Cut to Shirt Length

On Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, I've been sharing my progress on this sweet little Spring shirt I made for my 12-year-old, Sydney, based on MODKID's newest PDF pattern, The Vivian Shirtdress. Syd is a typical tween and lately she hasn't been wearing a lot of dresses. Even though the Vivian can technically be worn as a tunic, with skinny jeans or leggings underneath, Syd requested a shorter version to be worn with jeans and boots. She even picked the fabrics, so how could I say no?

Sydney chose two coordinating prints, the Plaid and the Paisley, from my newest fabric collection for Riley Blake, titled Primavera. Primavera means "Spring" in Spanish, and with the frigid temperatures and ice storms we've been experiencing in the Midwest lately, Spring couldn't come fast enough for us!

So, let's get started! The first thing you need to do is get the finished length measurement of the FRONT of your shirt. You can either measure your child from top of shoulder to where you want the shirt to fall, or grab one of her favorite shirts that fits her well, and measure it. To this measurement add 1" to account for the 1/2" shoulder seam and the 1/2" narrow hem. If you want to add a thicker hem to your shirt, add more length accordingly.

On the paper pattern, transfer this new length measurement to your FRONT PANEL ONLY and cut on the line. I wanted my shirt to have a slight curve at the front, but you can cut it straight, if desired.

Since the back panel of Vivian is made up of a TOP BACK and a BOTTOM BACK, we will leave the TOP "as is" and cut length only on the BOTTOM BACK PANEL. Place your new, shorter FRONT over the BOTTOM BACK panel, aligning underarm seams, as shown below. It is very important that your side seam is cut the same length front and back. However, you may decide you want a bit of a shirt tail hem (longer in the back than in the front) or the same length. Again, all this is up to you. I wanted my shirt to be slightly longer in the back, so this is how I drew my curve:

Cut the BOTTOM Back panel on the line and sew the shirt as indicated in the pattern. The beauty of this modification is that since you are omitting the side seam pockets, belt loops, and belt, this version will sew up much faster than your ShirtDress version.

I decided to add two chest pockets to my shirt (instead of just one) and since I was working with this Pretty Plaid, I went ahead and cut my fabric at a 45-degree angle for the pockets only. I love the way these turned out!

I also decided to use KAM snaps instead of buttons, and the project went together in a snap! (pun intended)

The end result is just as Sydney and I envisioned! No outside modeled pictures at the moment because it is still below freezing, but she is looking forward to wearing this adorable shirt all Spring long with a pair of jeans and her new white Chuck Taylors.

Want to grab this and any other MODKID PDF pattern at a discounted price? Here is your chance! For the next 4 days, take 25% off your entire order at the MODKID Etsy Store with code PRIMAVERA2017. Coupon Code expires at midnight EST on Saturday, January 21st. Happy shopping!!!

Modkid Modified: Adding Ties to the Dakota

Tassels and ties have been making an appearance on apparel for a while now, so it is high time we bring this trend to a Modkid style we love. The Modkid Dakota is the perfect backdrop for a tassel ornamentation. Don't limit yourself to the Dakota; however, the Olivia and Liesl patterns would work well also. If you don't want to opt for a tassel, the ties are still a nice detail with a knotted end.

I turned to Martha Stewart's tutorial on how to tie a tassel. I used some old thread to create this tassel, but yarn, cording, or trim would work as well. For the last step, I threaded a 12" section of pre-made spaghetti strap through the tassel loop. If I had some forethought, I would have used the strap to tie around the middle in the second step. So, this is more do as I say, not as I did.

After forming the tassel, double fold the end of the spaghetti strap above the tassel top and secure with a few stitches back and forth.

Baste your ties right sides together with the outer front yoke.

The top edge of the tie should be exactly 1/2" from the neckline in order to end up at the top of the finished neckline. Be sure you measure the 1/2" down from the neckline at 1/2" away from the slanted edge.

The tassels will be sandwiched between the yoke and the lining pieces as you sew around the neckline and down the slant. Continue to sew the top per the pattern instructions. Be cautious not to catch the ties or tassels in any of your seams!

Are you on board with the tassel trend? Be sure to share your Modkid tassel creations in our Facebook Group. By the way, this top features one of Patty's newest prints from the Primavera collection for Riley Blake.

I spotted a resell!

Just wanted to make you aware of a couple of resells I've spotted on eBay for those of you who are looking for a bargain. ;)

Sarah, of mm*designs*boutique, is reselling a EUC 2T Primavera. Click here to see this auction. It ends in only a few hours, so act fast or it will be gone soon.


And Susan of *confetti*kidz* has listed a brand new with tags 3T Autumn Blooms Jumper Dress. Click here to see the auction. This is at a very low price (lower than on her site) so it is an amazing deal!!


Happy shopping! :)