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!

Winners, a Flash SALE and New Product reveal!


Thank you all for your sweet comments on our newest PDF pattern, the Holly Jumper Dress. I read each and every one of the 96 comments that came in and was pleased to see how many of you already owned a MODKID pattern or a copy of my book and just were hesitant to try PDFs. There were also a few comments from folks who came from the PDF industry, but had never tried a MODKID pattern before. Regardless, there were so many great comments that we couldn't choose winners ourselves, so we left it up to chance. We used Random.org to choose 3 winners, and the results were:

Comment #32:

Kelly Smith3:28 PM

I love PDF patterns. I am horrible about losing my patterns, but I always make sure my PDFs are backed up in many places. I haven't tried any of your yet, but I love the Holly dress. This will be the first spring/summer that my girl has been walking so I can't wait to make her some cute dresses.

Comment #35:

Angela4:40 PM

I have some of your paper patterns, but haven't yet bought one of your PDF patterns. Holly is a gorgeous girl's dress and I would so love to,win it :-)

Comment #77:
Gorby family blog9:53 PM

I love that Holly goes up to a size 10. My oldest daughter doesn't get many handmades anymore since so many patterns stop at size 8. It's a beautiful dress and I'd love to make one for her!

Congrats to all the winners!! Please take a look at our PDF pattern offerings on our Etsy store, and email us your choice at info (at) modkidboutique (dot) com, so we can get it to you right away. 

Since so many of you commented that you had not yet tried one of our PDF patterns, we thought we'd make it a little easier on you and give you a 20% off code to use in the next 24 hours... use code TRYMODKID2 to receive 20% off you entire order on our Etsy store! This code is only valid on our Etsy store and is not valid on our website for paper patterns or books. It expires Friday, May 3rd at 12 noon CST.

While I have you all here, I also wanted to talk a little about what's been going on in the design front. As some of you might now, I am a licensed designer for Silhouette America, designing shapes to use on their Cameo machine, which die cuts on paper, vinyl, fabric and other surfaces. Well... true story: I had designer's block recently. It happens to the best of us, I've been told, haha. I didn't upload any new shapes to my Silhouette shop for about 2 weeks because I just couldn't come up with anything new to draw. I needed to draw something that just felt... well.. me. Do you know what I mean?

I dug deep and deeper and then I had an A-HA moment. I thought, why not go back to my roots and draw up my favorite things? What are my favorite things?? Well, I seem to have an almost unhealthy obsession with mid-century modern chairs. I own a couple at home and drool every time I see one at a local auction house. So, I drew up some shapes based on my favorite mod chairs...

Then, I looked around my house and found my other obsession... vintage cameras! I own probably 2 or 3 dozen of these beauties and they are sprinkled all over my house and studio. I just adore looking at them...

Finally, I thought, why stop there? Let's draw everything retro and vintage! haha

Anyway, you can find my new retro and vintage shapes, along with the rest of my Silhouette Shape Collection, HERE.

Wondering what's going on in the fabric front? Well, we are busy getting ready for the International Quilt Market, which this Spring happens to take place in one of my favorite cities in the whole wide world, Portland, OR! This is a special Market for me because I feel I've come full circle. The first Market I ever attended, 5 years ago, was in Portland, and here I am, 5 years later and 12 fabric collections in. I am not ready to completely show you my new fabric collection, but how about a little sneak peek? OK...

That's it. Not giving any more hints! Stay tuned for a full reveal... soon! :)

Looking ahead to 2013
Also, a coupon code and an awesome giveaway!

Yes, yes, I know it's already mid-January and I should've done this post a couple weeks ago. But with the kids being on Winter break and me trying to catch up on all the work that piled up, I'm just now getting to this. Well, 2012 is over and I find myself reflecting on all that we did last year.

• My first book, Sewing MODKID Style, went on sale in April.
• We launched not one, not two, not three, but FOUR fabric collections! (this is a first). First, we had Andalucia 2012, which was a reprint in different colors of my debut line. Then we had Heaven & Helsinki, which was offered in wovens and knits. And then we had Textured Basics in the Fall. OK, so maybe it was 3.5 lines ;)
• We launched 15 new sewing patterns, including 6 Micro Minis! This puts our grand total at 54! WHOA! (and I still remember when we launched our first four in the Spring of '09... almost 4 years ago! Seems like just yesterday. How time flies. sniff, sniff)
• We offered several free tutorials: Umbrella Redux, V-Day Fortunes, and Elf Stocking.
• We were featured on print, web and TV! And then more print. And even more print. All in all, we were featured in 5 national and international magazines in 2012.
• I started offering my designs as digital cutting files on Silhouette America.

WOW! That was a crazy busy year! And... 2013 is already shaping up to be even busier than last year (based on the amount of contracts I've had to review in the past few days!). But... before we get into the nitty gritty of designing and producing, we would like to hear from you! Yes, YOU!

In the comments section, we would like to hear your ideas:

• Fabric themes (more of something, less of something?)
• Fabric Colors (again... more of something, less of something?)
• Fabric substrates (anything besides quilting cotton? or are you happy with just the cottons?)
• Sewing patterns: any specific requests? (more girls, boys, baby, toddler. women's, plus sizes, home decor items?)
• Tutorials and PDFs. We do have a couple of PDF patterns on YCMT and Craftsy, but would like to do more! Anything in particular you'd like to see in downloadable format?
• Classes, workshops, lectures, events of any kind?
• Other products. What other products out there (does not have to be sewing-related) would you like to see Patty or MODKID lend their signature style to?

Tell us anything... this is your chance to be heard!

For your time, we are offering you:
10% off anything on the MODKID site with the code BLOGSPECIAL.
This coupon code expires 1/15/2013.

But, also, we will review all your suggestions and choose our 3 favorites. Those 3 people will receive a $25.00 gift certificate to our web store, so make them good, people!! You have until this time next week to get your ideas in! GO!

Treat Yourself with a MODKID Discount Code



My latest fabric line, Lush, is finally hitting stores worldwide so we've decided to celebrate with some new treats and a discount. We've created a couple of sampler packs for you to test out our new Lush ribbons and now you can even have a 10% discount on your order! This applies not only to ribbon but to anything on our site, patterns, pin tins, fabric scrap bags and kits! In the coupon code box on the checkout form, please enter the code JAN10, and your order will update the total to reflect this coupon code. Please note, MODKID only sells directly to consumers in the USA. Coupon code expires January 31, 2012.

Lush Ribbon Sampler #5 has all the pink and orange tone ribbons:



And Lush Ribbon Sampler #6 has all the turquoise and green tone ribbons:



Our Woven Fabric Scrap Bags now come with bits & pieces of LUSH among other lines, so this is your chance to test out the new goodies... at a discount!(Limited quantities available).



And what better thing to make with your fabric scraps than these adorable Modern Lotus Pillow Covers? This super easy to make mini-pattern is now in stock and ready to ship!



Like I said above, the JAN10 coupon code will get you 10% your total order on ribbons, patterns, pin tins, kits and fabric scrap bags, and it expires on January 31st, so this is your chance to stock up for the new year!

Happy Shopping!

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!

Another excuse to buy fabric...

...as if you needed one, right? The nice folks at Fabric.com emailed me yesterday to thank me for linking to their online store and were sweet enough to offer me a $5 coupon code to post on my blog for my readers to use... that's YOU! The coupon is valid for a one-time purchase per user and does not expire until the end of year.

Here ya go:



Here's a few guidelines to remember when using the coupon:

• To receive the discount, you MUST type the Code into the Coupon or Promotional Code box of the Order Form. Discount can not be applied if not entered at time order is placed.
• There is a limit of one coupon per order.
• Coupons can not be applied to retroactively to previously placed orders.

Hey, you may even want to use it to get yourself some Andalucia! They do carry 12 prints from the collection! ;) Click here to view their Andalucia selection and ... HAPPY SHOPPING!

***OH AND THIS JUST IN!***

Lanie Jane Fabrics is having a 20% SALE on all Andalucia fabrics. Click here to shop their site (they carry the entire collection!) and click here to check out a fun contest on their blog.

Lookie, lookie what the postman brought!
(psst... don't miss a great discount code at the end of this post!)

Last December I ordered a couple of those fabulous personalized books offered by FlattenMe for Sophie and her cousin, Asja, as Christmas gifts. I wrote a short review of them here on my blog as soon as I received them because I was so impressed by their quality and beauty. The nice folks at FlattenMe found my review and have kept in touch with me ever since, even giving me some much appreciated linky love on their testimonials page. Well, when Margo, the Founder & CEO of FlattenMe, emailed me last week to ask if she could send me a sample of their new book design, which is geared towards the younger kids, I was ecstatic! I scoured my digital photo files in search for the perfect Sydney face for this book, emailed it to her and waited with bated breath. After all, Sophie loves her book soooo much that I was actually thinking of getting one for Sydney too.

Well, the book arrived today and OMG is it fantastic! Sydney couldn't keep her eyes (or hands) off of it all day long... good thing it comes in a practically-drool-proof board book format cause that girl's jaw just dropped when she saw herself as the protagonist in all these magical adventures.


She made me read the story to her 3 times within the first 30 minutes and the rest of the day she lugged it around the house, pausing every now & then to take another peek. She had such a quizzical look on her face... it was hilarious! I'm sure she was thinking "I don't remember doing all this, but... COOL!" hee hee


Just take a look for yourselves at how gorgeous this book is. The quality is top-notch... hard cover with a full-bleed, high-resolution image and a sleek, glossy coating. The story is captivating and age-appropriate and Sydney's picture is seamlessly and expertly merged into the background image.



The background artwork is amazing too...so whimsical and fun!


The book I ordered for Sophie and Asja last year is the fairy book (picture below)... and it is perfect for the older girls & boys. But if your kid is into pirates I know they have a pirate book too that looks like loads of fun. Oh, and they even have a potty training book... how perfect is that?!!



I want to thank the wonderful folks at FlattenMe for anther amazing keepsake book. This will be something my kids will cherish forever.

And as a thank you to all my readers, they are offering a 10% OFF COUPON valid until July 31st... just enter the coupon code: MODKIDS at check out to receive your discount. Click HERE to visit the FlattenMe site today.


Happy Shopping!