Happy Friday!!

Yes, it seems I've fallen into a Friday blogging routine. This worked out for you guys because you got an extra couple days to enter the QuiltHome Heaven & Helsinki contest. I'm sure you're all dying to know who won, so without much further ado, the randomly selected winner is...

#55

melissamo19:46 AM

I LOVE the Fair Isle Stripe in Orange! I love it all!!! Looking at this fabric line inspires me to dream up all sorts of girly, ruffly dresses and skirts!!! It is soooo much fun to sew with many different coordinating fabrics! Especially bright fabrics!!!

CONGRATULATIONS, Melissa! Please send your mailing address to info@modkidboutique.com and the wonderful folks at QuiltHome will send you this little bundle of goodness!

So... who's excited about the Olympics? We are! In our househod we have one little gymnast...

And one little swimmer...

So, you'd better believe we'll be keeping our eyes glued to the TV set the next few days.

On work front news, we are putting the finishing touches on the FAll 2012 Sewing Patterns... I cannot wait for you to see what we have in store this time! And... strike offs for my Fall Fabric Line (no, that is not what it's called, but I'm keeping it hush-hush for now) arrived this morning, and I am IN LOVE! I've also recently signed a couple of other licensing deals so you'll be seeing a lot more Patty Young on other [non-sewing-related] products in the next few months! More on all of that soon, I promise!

Have a great weekend, everyone! xoxo

Free Fabric Friday, Part Deux

Well, it wasn't planned out to be a weekly event, but it's just so happened that way, so let's just roll with it, k? If you missed out on winning some awesome bundles of Heaven & Helsinki last Friday, here you have another chance, courtesy of the awesome folks at Quilt Home.



Quilt Home and MODKID go way back! Jon and I met Heidi and Roland Porth years ago when we launched my debut line with Michael Miller Fabrics, Andalucia, and we had an instant connection. A husband and wife team, whose kids are actively involved in the business... a business that they are deeply passionate about... what's not to love? Needless to say, we saw a lot of parallels with our own business. Over the years, the support we've gotten from Quilt Home has been amazing. I once saw someone on Twitter say that they love Quilt Home because "they stock deep". That phrase resonated with me because it is so true. While most other online retailers will retire fabric lines after the first run, Quilt Home will keep reordering (and reordering BIG) until they can no longer get it from the manufacturers, so you are bound to find older lines that most other places don't stock anymore. Just the other day, someone asked me on Flickr if I knew where she could find the doll panels from Playdate (a line that has been out of print for about 2 years now). I knew where to send her immediately!

So... needless to say, when Heidi called me earlier this week to ask if I wouldn't mind hosting this giveaway on my blog, I didn't hesitate to accept.

In their words, "The giveaway is a package of five half yard cuts. It includes three fabrics from the Heaven & Helsinki Retro Palette and two coordinating Cotton Couture Solids."



For a chance to win this package, leave us a comment below and tell us what your favorite print from Heaven & Helsinki is, and why. It doesn't have to be from this bundle, you can take a look at the entire collection here and let us know.

We will randomly choose a winner on Wednesday, July 25th and Quilt Home will send the package directly to the lucky one!

Good luck!

Hot off the press!

You guys have no idea how long I've had to bite my tongue before I could spill the beans about this amazing feature in STUDIOS Magazine. This is the first time MODKID HQ has been featured in a national magazine and we couldn't be more thrilled! The issue just came out so run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore, and snatch yourself a copy. My local Barnes & Noble said theirs flew off the shelves almost as soon as they came in... eeee!

This issue just happens to feature one of my all time favorite interior designers... Genevieve Gorder of HGTV. I've been a fan of hers since the old Trading Spaces days. And now I am so honored to be sharing the pages of this awesome publication with someone of her caliber. In addition to Genevieve, there are also articles on Anna Maria Horner, Lotta Jansdotter and so many others!

And... of course... there are six glorious pages featuring over a dozen large detailed photos and even a floorplan of MODKID HQ. Just look at this... (I'm so giddy)



**I do have an extra copy here -- complimentary from the publisher -- that I'd love to give away, so leave me a comment below and I'll draw a lucky winner a week from today.**

Let's see, what other fun things are happening? QuiltHome featured yours truly in this week's e-newsletter (there's even a fun little video they shot at Quilt Market!!!) and is currently running an AWESOME sale on all things Patty Young. They have GRAND BAZAAR fabric & ribbons in so go check them out!! The coupon code QHAPY25 is good for 25% off all my fabrics, ribbons, and patterns. The coupon expires on Monday, August 15, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.

Also, The Creative Connection blog has a feature on me as well this week and we are giving away a 6-pattern bundle to a lucky winner for leaving a comment over there...

And last but not least, if you've visited our website this week, you've already noticed that we've been making lots of updates. There is way more to come so please keep checking... we have a new tab called KITS & SAMPLERS that will have fabric scrap bags and ribbon sampler boxes for those of you who just want a little taste test. Also, all of the new FALL 2011 patterns are up there but not available for purchase yet, as they are still at the printer. Watch for a full reveal next week!





So, I guess these are Exciting Thing #8, 9, 10 and 11! :)

Holiday Cheer
See below for giveaway!

I'm writing to you from a cozy hotel room in St. Louis where this is the view out my window...



I'm feeling extremely thankful right now and want to share some Holiday cheer with you all. Right before I left, I got a little surprise in the mail... my comp copies of the latest issue of QUILT Magazine featuring a complete pattern & instructions of my Playdate Quilt. Yes, this picture was taken on our hotel bed... sorry, that's the best I could do on such short notice...haha



You have no idea how many email inquiries I have gotten for this pattern ever since I showed the quilt at the Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis and for months now I've been saying "Soon, soon, it's coming soon!" but not really knowing when. Well, it's here now! YIPPEEE! Here is what the cover looks like and you can pick it up at most bookstores and news stands right now.



The best part is... you can actually purchase a full quilt kit for this quilt and make it in a weekend for your favorite kid. The article says that the kits are available at Fat Quarter Shop but I was just notified that they were so popular that they sold out right away. WOW! Luckily, my good friends at Quilt Home have picked up the ball and are offering the quilt kit at limited quantities, so go on and get yours HERE before it's gone.

In case you need a reminder of what the quilt looks like, here ya go...



WEB BONUS: You can also go to the QUILT Magazine website and download a free template for a dress for your rag doll friends. ;)



***I do have 1 extra copy of the magazine to give away and I will sweeten the deal by adding 1 rag doll panel so you can make these sweet dolls. Just leave me a comment and when I return next week, I will pick a random lucky winner. And... hey, please leave a way to contact you if you win! ***

Don't forget to check out QUILT HOME for all your fabric needs. They carry every single one of my fabric lines and all of my patterns! :)

Sorry I have to be brief. It's been a long day and I have to catch some zzz's before another long day tomorrow. In case I don't pop in back here, HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all!

We're Baaaack!

We've been in Florida for the past 9 days and it was both wonderful and exhausting! We had activities planned for each and every day... not kidding! It was a blast but I'm glad to be back.

Did you guys know this is my 300th post? Of course not! I didn't even know until a few minutes ago. Seriously THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the sewing pattern name suggestions. I am not kidding you when I say that I was expecting a couple dozen suggestions but coming home to 260+ comments was truly shocking... in a good way! :) It's gonna take me a few days to read through all of them and pick my favorite 2 or 3 names. Most of you left multiple names under your comment so I'm estimating having to go through a couple thousand girlie names. Boy, maybe I should get busy and make more patterns so I can use up more of them.

I'll announce the winners as soon as I can! I did want to point out something... I noticed that the names Ava, Isabel and Julia kept popping up here & there in the comments so I am afraid I wasn't too clear in mentioning that those are names I am already using (see 4th paragraph down on the Name Game post). Just didn't want anyone to think I used their name without due credit! ;)

OK... I'd better get to work. I'll leave you with a little sneak peek from our FL vacay...

This one I call BLISS.



And this one I call FACING FEAR.



More pics (correction: TONS more pics!) coming in the very near future... brace yourselves! ;)

In the meantime, please check out my interview on TRUE UP. I talk about my inspiration for each and every design in Mezzanine. I also give a little non-visual sneak of my next fabric line.

Also, Quilt Home is featuring yours truly in their most recent e-newsletter... I'm SO flattered. (pssst, scroll down to the bottom of the newsletter to see a 15% coupon that expires this Sunday valid for my fabric & patterns!)

And last, but certainly NOT least, Better Homes & Gardens' Fall issue of Quilts & More magazine has a 6-page spread on how to make the 3 pillows I designed for my Andalucia fabric debut last Fall. On the last page, they even show you how they took the same designs and made them out of Mezzanine!! If you can't find a copy of this mag at your local bookstore, you can buy one at Fat Quarter Shop.

Be back soon...

Chatty Patty

Jon always says I have the gift of gab, but I think today I've definitely outdone myself! So, if you're not sick of me yet, you can hear me, see me and read me at the following places:

Hear Me: Lori Vanmaanen of Sew Forth Now did a Podcast interview with me last Friday. If you have 41 minutes to spare (and who doesn't?) check this out... I chat about everything from growing up in a third-world country, to how I got into fabric design, to the CPSIA, to working with chopsticks (seriously!) And if you make it till the end of the interview, you'll even get a virtual sneak peek of my new fabric collection, Mezzanine. Nope, no pictures yet, but I do describe it in detail so if you have a good imagination you may be able to conjure up some images. It'll be fun to see how close you get, eh?

Click here for Sew Forth Now podcast

See Me: My dear friend, Daria, of Boutique Café, just posted a fun videocast of her visit with me at Fall Quilt Market. This interview is different from the live videocast I posted a while back. This one actually takes place on location at my booth, so you can get a feel of the space and the sewn items I presented. Please disregard the fact that I was chewing gum through the whole interview (how rude!) and that my name tag was hanging off one string until it finally popped off (eeek!)

Click here for Boutique Cafe videocast

Read Me: And finally, the nice folks at Quilt Home emailed me today to tell me that they just received the entire Andalucia line in their store and that they are featuring me on their most recent member newsletter. Oh, and to top it all off, they are offering a 20% discount on Andalucia purchases using the coupon code below... but hurry this offer ends on January 31st!


And since I'm in a chatty mood, I wanted to thank you all for the pattern love. So thrilled you all like Lil' Chef and Frida. Thanks so much for the suggestions on what sort of accessory to offer with Frida. An overwhelming majority voted for a head scarf (kerchief) so I got to work on a fun tutorial for it and it turned out super cute. Plus, I decided at the last minute to add a 3rd version to the pattern, so now it'll have Version A, B & C plus the kerchief! Fun, fun, fun! My next post will have some fun pictures of our day trip to Indianapolis in which Sydney wore her Frida dress and matching kerchief... it was a sure hit!