Free Tutorial Friday

It's Summer time and do I have a treat for you! The über talented Valerie Haberer of Sew Much More designed this super fun and easy-to-sew Summer Strip Quilt to go along with our Sun & Surf Tote pattern. And now that Playdate is in stores worldwide and our new patterns have shipped to all who pre-ordered, feel free to use this tutorial to saturate your Summer months with color!



Those of you who stopped by our Quilt Market booth last month may remember this adorable mini-quilt on our far left wall. It is the perfect compliment to our Sun & Surf Tote since it rolls up and fits inside snugly.



It's such a clever design where the strips are sewn right onto a standard bath towel.



You can embellish the towel with embroidery or applique to add an extra touch of whimsy.



Click on the image below to download the free PDF tutorial. The file is 4.3MB so if you have a slow connection, let me know and I can send you a low-res version. All tutorial links are also posted on our side bar... over there >>>



Enjoy!

(pssst... there's still time to enter my scraptastic giveaway... winners will be chosen on Sunday, June 2oth)

Daaaad! Mom's playing with my dolls again!













I admit it: I've been getting in touch with my inner child lately. These mini-MODKID outfits have been so much fun to play with, but I can't take credit for them. You guys may remember Valerie Haberer, who threw that awesome Open House & sewing contest at her store, Sew Much More, back in September. Well, Val ended up sewing some samples for my Quilt Market booth and surprised me with a miniature version of my Ava pattern, which we immediately dubbed mini-me. We took her to Market (to sorta feel out the crowd) and the squeals of delight could be heard all through the convention floor!

So here is the deal: MODKID IS GROWING! No, I am NOT pregnant. But I have birthed 10 sewing patterns and 2 fabric collections in the past 9 months without as much as a day of maternity leave. Soooo, in order to grow the company while still keeping my sanity, Jon and I decided to hire our first ever licensed designer. Val brings many years of experience to the table, plus she is probably the only person I've met that rivals my creative OCD. She is creative, focused, meticulous and a perfectionist in every sense of the word.

Let's learn a little bit about Valerie:

"I've been sewing for as long as I can remember. I began making doll clothes out of Kleenex when I was a kid for that leggy fashion doll so popular! I started making dolly clothes for my youngest daughter over 12 years ago. And, even now, every time she comes home from college, I try to make dolly a new dress. Because dollies look sweet in just about everything, making clothes for them is creative and always puts a smile on my face! And, making matching dolly clothes from the Modkid patterns is way too much fun! Hopefully, you'll agree!"

We are so excited to add Val to our creative team. Just you wait, in addition to the mini-MODKID patterns she is also working on a few other super cool surprises to add to the MODKID line-up. I can't wait for you to see our January 2010 sewing pattern release!

And now that I'm talking about changes to the company, I should also mention another big change. You guys all know how much Jon (here he is modeling the bee tie I made for him) has helped me out pretty much since I started this crazy endeavor of mine. Not only is he an amazing source of moral support but he has also been there to help out with whatever I need, whether it's website updates, booth building, studio remodeling, heavy lifting, you name it!

But now that our company is growing exponentially, Jon has completely taken over our fulfillment department. He makes sure all orders go out in a timely manner and keeps our website up to date. This allows me more time to create and manage creative partners, which lately has become a full-time job. So, if any of you retail customers ever have a question regarding your order, need a list of distributors or would like your website link to be added to our textiles or patterns page, you can contact Jon directly at jjyoung@modkidboutique.com.

So, that's it for MODKID news right now. Stay tuned for the full pattern reveal coming soon! I'm also preparing a super fun giveaway before the Holidays, so please keep checking the blog.

Happy Turkey Day!!

SEW MUCH MORE

I met Valerie Haberer, owner of SEW MUCH MORE, what used to be only a Baby Lock dealership in my hometown a couple of years ago when I went in looking to purchase a Baby Lock Imagine. She took excellent care of me and we've remained friends ever since. She has seen me develop into the fabric & sewing pattern designer that I am today and has always been extremely supportive and excited about my endeavors.

She recently embarked on an adventure of her own and has turned her Baby Lock store into a hip & cool fabric shop, offering the latest & greatest in designer fabrics and indie sewing patterns in the industry.

This past Thursday, September 10, Valerie hosted an OPEN HOUSE to celebrate her new endeavor and it was such a fun event. Below is a picture of some of the attendees (a couple had to leave early due to prior engagements so I did not capture the full group)



Valerie and her assistant, Karen, looked so adorable in their matching Mezzanine skirts...



I just had to get in on the fun and give these sweet ladies a big hug...



After a short talk, we revealed the winners of the sewing contest. The decision was so tough because there were so many wonderful entries. I was truly blown away by the local talent... not that I didn't think there was any (haha), but just that they all came forward to showcase their skills and make beautiful creations with my fabric *sniff, sniff*

Janet Walker won in the Women's Wear category for her beautiful Clover Dot Cami

Pam Pittman won in the Bags, Purses & Totes category with her gorgeous Flora purse

Cathie Haab won in the Children's Wear category with her adorable 2-piece Mezzanine baby outfit

Carolyn Bryant won in the Home Decor category with this amazingly fussy-cut Andalucia Table Runner you see up at the top.

Congratulations again to all the winners and thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who entered the contest... everything was breathtakingly beautiful!

A million thanks to Valerie for her support and friendship. And thank you all for attending. I had a truly wonderful night! I even walked away with one of the contest entries... a great scarf made with my Mod Blooms cord. Thanks, Kathy! I love it!!

What's in a Name?

I'm still blown away by all the responses we received after I asked for sewing pattern name suggestions. Boy, I should've thought about this long ago! Thank you all for all your ideas! Choosing names was soooo hard for us... there were literally thousands to go through. We grabbed some popcorn & drinks and got cozy in the studio. Jon read the names aloud and I wrote down those we really loved. There were tons of names on that list but we needed to narrow it down some more. At the end we came up with about a dozen must-haves, so you may see your name suggestion pop up here in the near future... you never know!

The 3 winners for this contest were:

SewMentalMama said...

What a great idea for a contest, but I don't know how you are
going to choose between all the great neames suggested. There are four
I would like:

1. Clara or Carla
2. Lucy
3. Nina
4. Emily

nheimberg said...

How about Abigail or Abby. Ruth is a nice classic name also. Natasha is a good one too. :)

Dottie said...

Wow, I think my list could go on and on..how about:
1. Ella
2. Cambrie
3. Stella

I know lots of you suggested these names, but we had to go with the first person who did. Winners, please email your mailing address to info@modkidboutique.com.

In addition to these 3 awesome names, we have a few others we just cannot do without. And I don't know about you, but I'm a visual person so when I heard a name, I immediately envisioned a "look". Like for example, when I heard the name BETTY, I imagined a super cute, retro apron set... like maybe a mother/daughter matching pattern? Then when I heard MARGOT, I thought of an elegant winter coat. PENELOPE could be the elegant party gown to match the coat. And the name MATILDA conjured up all kinds of playful, retro A-line dresses. And then there was LUCY and MAYA and CLAUDIA... oh, so many lovely names! Ahhh... I definitely have my work cut out for me! I better get to designing some Ninas, Abigails, Stellas, Bettys, etc., etc.

Speaking of names, I'd like to introduce you to the 3 lovely young ladies that have occupied most of my time these past few weeks. May I present AVA, ISABEL and JULIA, all due out in October and available for pre-order at Quilt Market (in conjunction with a couple others I'm working on!)

And, of course, you can't have a MODKID Sewing Pattern without the notorious "potty girls" so here they are...

I may be a bit quiet around here while I prepare for the Fall International Quilt Market, coming up in just 4 short weeks. This will be a big one for me because I will be debuting a new fabric collection with Michael Miller Fabrics (more on that soon!) plus a whole new range of sewing patterns.

In the meantime I will be appearing at Sew Much More this Thursday, September 10 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. If you are local to the Central Illinois area, don't miss Sew Much More's OPEN HOUSE. There will be food, drinks and door prizes galore! I will give a short talk around 6:30 then judge a sewing competition. It should be loads of fun so come on out!

SEW MUCH MORE
1520 E. College Ave. Suite O
Normal, IL, 61761

Phone: 309-452-7659