This 'n That

I've been immersed in the studio working non-stop on some pretty exciting new projects that I hope to share with you soon. Was meaning to blog about First Fridays last week, but time got away from me. Funny how that happens around this time of the year. But then a couple more exciting things happened yesterday and today, so now this is going to be one of those hodge-podge kind of posts, like this one from a few months ago.

We were so thrilled to be featured in our local newspaper, The Pantagraph, yesterday. They did a two-page spread on Modkid HQ, myself, Jon and Emalee... pretty much everything you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask about my life, background, how we started the company and how we make things work. If you're not local to Central Illinois, you can catch the article online here.



It was in the MONEY section, so I hope that's a sign of good things to come. ;)



There's Emalee with one of her designs and Jon showing off the ribbons in the warehouse.



Then, this morning, I get a tweet from my good friends Kim and Kris, from The DIY Dish, saying that the segment we taped back in September at The Creative Connection Event is finally up on their site. I share a Holiday craft that has been a tradition in my home for a few years now. I hope you check it out. I am incredibly honored to be in the same segment with the amazingly talented Kim Stoegbauer and Susan Branch. (!!!)

Here's a link to the video on You Tube or you can go directly to The DIY Dish and watch it there.



Finally, I wanted to share some images I captured from our December First Fridays event, because it was beyond my wildest dreams... from the wonderful window display design to the adorable little girls modeling MODKID dresses and accessories to the swarms of visitors -- old friends and new faces -- who stopped by. It really was an awesome evening!



So that the girls wouldn't get bored just standing up there with nothing to do, we gave them some glittery paper, funny-shaped scissors and had them cut snowflakes out. Boy, they LOVED this activity!



Just look at the concentration! Love those faces! :)



The girls waved at the passers-by and made everyone smile.



As more little girls came to the studio, we'd throw a MODKID on them and let them stand up there with the others.



The girls even got a surprise visit from their favorite jolly ol' man.



They told him they were very nice this year. Hmmmm... we'll see if he believes them.



Thank you to my sweet friends, Nikki Barr and Anna Snyder for letting their sweet and beautiful daughters be the MODKID Girls for that evening!

Up next.... book sneak peek #3! Stay tuned...

TCCE in a nutshell

I think I have a TCCE hangover! I'm having the hardest time getting back to work and I have soooo much to do. This happens to me every time I return from Quilt Market too. I think it's just all of that creativity surrounding me coupled with the lack of sleep, sugar overload and long hours on the road (or in the air, in this case)... eventually it catches up to you. So, I figured if I blogged today, maybe I can finally put that chapter of my life behind and get on with it... haha (we'll see)

The day I arrived I immediately gravitated towards "the fabric gals"... we pretty much stuck together like white on rice.


From left to right: Kris and Kim from The DIY Dish, me, Jana Nielson, Paula Prass, Betz White and Lizzy House.

But do you blame me? These girls are a hoot!





Here's me with The DIY Dish girls and Paula Prass...



One of the best parts about this trip for me was to be able to spend some quality time with my fabulous room mate, Betz White. Here she is all dolled up for the autograph party...



I was also thrilled and honored to be a featured artist on The DIY Dish. Here we are after filming the segment... passers by kept asking us if we were all related! haha! Kim and Kris are always a pleasure to talk to and they tell me my show will air sometime in November. I did a fun Holiday craft on the show and talked a little bit about my upcoming book, Sewing MODKID Style. I'll let you know when the show is up so you can all check it out!



And I thought it was an absolute treat to be able to hear Holly Becker and Cristina Ferrare speak at the Keynote Dinner the first night. They both had such inspiring stories and one of my goals was to get to meet them in person... and I did!

Here I am with Holly Becker. She is actually about a foot taller than I am, but she was sweet enough to crouch down to my level...



Here she is signing my copy of her DECORATE book, which I love, by the way!



Here I am with Cristina Ferrare (who, by the way, does the best Oprah impersonation I've ever heard!)



Lastly, I was honored to be asked to teach two classes at TCCE and I can't say enough about my sweet students.... they were THE BEST!!!

My cutting table with the goodies donated by Olfa and Prym-Dritz:



The classroom was outfitted with Janome sewing machines and each student received a kit containing everything they needed to complete the project.



My Sun & Surf Tote students cutting their pieces...



My French Window Pillow students sewing their hearts out...



Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of all my students, but here's a few I grabbed before they left. Thank you all... your projects turned out so awesome!!



Phew... now wish me luck getting through everything else on my plate. I have a 7-year old's birthday party to plan, a sewing pattern release to complete, and a booth to design for Quilt Market.... each just as important as the next.

Counting down the days

The Creative Connection Event is exactly 2 weeks from today and I simply can. not. wait. It's gonna be so awesome meeting up with all the great personalities at this show... I already have a list as long as my arm of women I want to get to know. If you haven't made a decision as to what classes to take, I want to let you know that although my Friday classes are now closed, I still have a few spots open in my Saturday classes.

Click on the links or photos below to learn more about my two classes...

FRENCH WINDOW PILLOW COVER
Saturday, September 17, 2011

Teacher: Patty Young

Time: 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Registration code: SPM

SUN & SURF TOTE
Saturday, September 17, 2011

Teacher: Patty Young

Time: 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Registration code: SAM

And if you are a beginner sewer and are a bit apprehensive, please don't worry... I will have EVERYTHING there for you to get started with. You only need to bring your smile and eagerness to learn something new. :)

And, in case you haven't seen my prior posts on this subject, I have A TON of goodies to give away to all my students... rotary cutters, rulers, self-healing mats, and lots of other things!! So, in addition to a super cute project made by YOU, you will be going home with some awesome freebies from my sponsoring companies, OLFA, Prym Consumer USA and Dill Buttons. How cool is that!?!

Hope to see you all there!!

Exciting things!

There's so much going on right now at MODKID HQ that I can barely keep up. Let's see...

Exciting Thing #1:

We got new signage at the studio. It was such a thrilling experience to see it finally come to life like this. We got a big, big, BIG logo in the front window...







And a smaller door sign...



If you squint you can see Sydney supervising from the inside... heeheee!



It was a proud moment for all of us.

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Exciting Thing #2:

We are having a 2nd Open House and this time it includes a SAMPLE SALE!! We heard it repeatedly last time we opened our doors: are you selling any of your sewn samples? Last time we weren't prepared, but this time we are and boy, do we have some goodies for you! Lots and lots of finished product that we've accumulated over the years... girls clothing, pillows, women's garments, purses... something for everyone!

MODKID SAMPLE SALE
Friday, August 5 · 5:00pm - 8:00pm

MODKID HQ

109 W. Monroe St.

Bloomington, IL 61701

If you're in the area and plan to attend, please RSVP on our FaceBook event so we can plan for enough food and drinks for everyone. Yes, folks, we'll have snacks and libations!





Disclaimer: the above photos were taken a few weeks back and do not represent the exact selection of items available for sale.

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Exciting Thing #3

We randomly selected three winners from last week's blog contest. Each one of these lucky ladies will receive a ribbon sampler especially selected by us.

#79
Robin said...

My niece is an American Girl Doll fan so I think I'd like to make her a couple of those ADORABLE doll outfits. Thanks for the chance to win!

#1

Fiona said...

It all looks so beautiful! That wall colour is amazing and works really well with your new line.

#98
Marsi said...

Beautiful! I love making handbags and messenger bags for kids as gifts, so that fabric & ribbon would work perfect. Congratulations on your on going success.

CONGRATULATIONS, ladies!! Please email us at info@modkiboutique.com with your mailing info to claim your prize.

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Exciting Thing #4:

If you were not selected to win the ribbon samplers, don't get discouraged... there is another chance to win! I was featured on Where Women Create last Friday as part of my involvement in The Creative Connection Event and I am giving away a MODKID Sewing Pattern Bundle to one lucky reader. So, pop on over there and leave a comment for another chance at winning some MODKID goodies.

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Exciting Thing #5:

And speaking of The Creative Connection Event, we received yet another bundle of crafty goodness from another one of our dear sponsors. The wonderful folks at Prym-Dritz Consumer USA, just sent over a large box of sewing notions to give away at my classes. Check this out:



This is just the top layer of the large box! There are large snap-on grommets (the same ones we use in the Sun & Surf Tote), rotary cutters, rulers and self-healing mats galore!



I have so many donated items now that EVERY student will be able to walk away with a free goodie or two from our wonderful sponsors! YAY!

So, in case you missed it before click here to read more about the Sun & Surf Tote class and here for the French Window Pillow class. Register soon because these classes fill up fast and there's limited enrollment!

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Exciting Thing #6:

We're getting über organized. Just because the outside of our studio looks pretty and the design areas are fun and colorful, it doesn't mean that the warehouse can't be all of those too. Jon's been keeping himself super busy the past few weeks organizing our warehouse and I think he's done a fantastic job of it. He says it's not finished, but I think it looks blog-worthy so far, dontcha think?



Check out all those colorful, yummy ribbons sitting pretty on this shelf...



Lots and lots and lotsa boxed patterns on these shelves...



Assembled patterns ready to go out are right here, front and center...



So, that's it for our exciting things this week!

Exciting things coming up? A massive sewing pattern reveal next week. A new licensed product reveal either this week or next. And some awesome magazine features in August and September. Stay tuned!!!

xoxo,
patty

***Edited to add...***

Exciting Thing #7:
The amazing John Adams (a.k.a. Quilt Dad) informed me in the blog comments yesterday that I am also featured in Issue #6 of Fatquarterly!! WOOHOO! I read the article last night and it is fantastic... so much information there on sewing with knits and shirtings, plus everything you ever needed to know about Grand Bazaar fabric and ribbons (broken down per design!). There are also lots of other designer features and some fantastic quilt and pillow patterns included in this issue. It's well worth the money to subscribe... so go, get it NOW! :)

The Creative Connection Event

Have you heard about this thing? It's three whole days of creative, crafty goodness, or as they say on their website: a national conference and market celebrating creative women and entrepreneurs. I couldn't attend last year because it happened around the same time as my first manuscript was due for my book and unfortunately I just couldn't tear myself away. However, I was tickled pink when co-founder, Jo Packham, asked if I wanted to teach at this year's event! Of course I said yes... and now I want to tell you all about it...

I'll be teaching two classes (click on the name to be taken directly to the class page):

Sun & Surf Tote
At the start of this class I will hand you a kit that contains everything, and I mean, EVERYTHING, you need to complete this awesome tote... from the fabric, to the interfacing to all the notions, including buttons, grommets and even the thread! You will even get the original pattern, so you can take it home and make it again and again. You will walk away with a finished tote, just like the one pictured below, that is perfect for a trip to the beach, swim lessons or a day at the park. Hmmm...maybe it can even become your carry-on luggage for your return trip!





French Window Pillow Cover
Just like with my other class, you will receive a signature MODKID bag containing everything you need to complete this adorable pillow cover, including all the fabrics, the printed tutorial, the binding, thread and even a cute MODKID woven tag! All fabrics are from my Sanctuary line for Michael Miller Fabrics.





Last week, all the materials started arriving from all the wonderful companies I'm working with. Check out this awesome stack of fabric bolts courtesy of Michael Miller Fabrics...



And how about these adorable decorative buttons from Dill Buttons of America, Inc. There are enough buttons here for everyone to have 1 and then some (whatever we don't use, I'll give away at the end of the class).



And last, but certainly not least, I received a box of goodies from my good friends at OLFA. There are circle cutters and rotary cutters galore. We'll get to play with these in class and at the end of the class, I'll draw names for a giveaway.



So, in case you missed it above click here to read more about the Sun & Surf Tote class and here for the French Window Pillow class. Register soon because these classes fill up fast and there's limited enrollment!

Oh, I will also be participating in a roundtable pitch slam session -- Pitch To Become A Designer for a Textile/Licensing Manufacturer. If you've ever wanted to become a licensed textile designer, here's your chance to pitch your collection to a group of experts! I will be sharing the roundtable with Heather Bailey and Suzy Ultman. After pitching their ideas, participants will be able to spend some time with artists that have been through the whole licensing process. The experts in this category are Kathy Miller and Lilla Rogers. Learn more about this Pitch Slam session here.

Hope to see you all there this September! Let me know if anyone has any questions. And if you're attending, let me know too... I'd love to get to know my students in advance!

xoxo