Introducing... Club Havana

I am over the moon excited to introduce you to my newest fabric collection for Riley Blake Designs, called Club Havana.

This line was inspired by a vacation we took with my extended family last Summer to celebrate my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary. My mom is Costa Rican and my dad is Puerto Rican, but one of their bucket list items has always been to go to Cuba, so we had to make it happen. I loved Cuba so much that I knew right away I needed to turn those scrumptious colors and vibrant imagery into some wearable art.

Once you step off the boat onto the streets of Havana, one of the most striking and memorable things you'll see is the abundance of American classic cars painted in bright, fun colors that are cruising the streets. These are called "Boteros" and are mostly used as taxi cabs for tourists or more affluent locals. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a few dozen pictures.

As soon as I saw these cars, I knew that I wanted this line to have a rougher, more "hand drawn" look & feel, much less tight and vectorized than all my previous lines. I started doing some rough sketches in Photoshop, and I immediately loved the result...

The "Boteros" print was born, and the rest of the line took shape from that point on.

I drew the rest of the line, including lots of florals, some happy pineapples, a very tropical IKAT print and a rounded cross, using the same loose hand drawn style as I had used for the Boteros print. View the full collection here.

This is truly one of my favorite lines I have ever drawn because it came from a place of happiness and love.

Next, I would like to share with you some sewn samples made with the Club Havana advance yardage. I knew I had to make a Stella Purse, because this is the very first pattern my mother designed for MODKID, many years ago. It's a very structured bag with a modern look and feel. It features a zippered panel closure with one outer pocket and two inner pockets.

I also made a pair of Natalie & Nate rompers because I wanted to showcase the sweetness of the Pineapple and the Boteros prints together...

Our dear friend, Maryanna Powel, of Marvelous Auntie M, sewed up this gorgeous Houndstooth Quilt using the 6 color ways of my Rounded Cross print. How fun is this?!?

And last, but certainly not least, the 3 color ways of my Pineapples print was selected to be printed in a super soft Jersey Knit, and I am beyond thrilled about it because I LOVE sewing with knits!!

Courtney Davis, of Sweeter Than Cupcakes, made the Modkid Malibu Dress for her oldest daughter and a Laguna Summer Top with Spring Break Shorts for the youngest. The result is the perfect sister set!

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!

Going to Market

Plans are being made, bags are being packed, and creativity is converging in Minneapolis, Minnesota for International Quilt Market Spring 2015 next weekend. Patty is packing up some exciting things of her own!

You've already been introduced to Vivid Knits for Riley Blake. Well, these two dresses will be making an appearance at quilt market to reintroduce the Penny knit dress pattern. It is the same quick-sew, beginner friendly, lots of options dress it has always been, with a brand new cover featuring the lovely Vivid knits. 

Patty didn't stop with knits as she planned her Vivid prints!! Allow me to introduce Vivid Canvas by Patty Young for Riley Blake!! We can imagine the bright colorful prints on clutches, pouches, totes, coats, home decor, and more. 

Speaking of coats, another lovely pattern had a little face lift! The Paige blazer and hooded jacket looks so bright and fresh in this pretty canvas print. 

Stay tuned for a new FREE pattern featuring VIVID Canvas! Patty will be revealing this at Quilt Market this weekend, and then we will share it here for all of you to make. In the meantime, tell us what you would make with Vivid Canvas.

Introducing: VIVID Knits! by Patty Young for Riley Blake

After I posted a quick picture on Instagram of an open box of knit fabrics, with the words: "Exciting mail day! Sample yardage of my new knits for @rileyblakedesigns has finally arrived!", and it was met with a lot of question marks, it was obvious to me that lots of you out there had no idea I was designing for Riley Blake now.

So, I am here now to make the official announcement! To make a long story short... I met Jina and Cindy of Riley Blake Designs at Common Threads last year. Common Threads is a creative retreat of sorts, sponsored by Tacony Corporation (Baby Lock Machines). The three of us got to talking during a version of speed dating for the creative types, and continued our conversation later that evening back at the hotel. Out of that fateful meeting, a wonderful partnership was born. And 5 months ago, during Baby Lock Tech, a little announcement was made on Instagram...

I am thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful team! So here it is at last... I present to you,VIVID: a collection of Knits exclusively designed for Riley Blake.

Aren't they yummy? They are all up on their website right now if you'd like to take a closer look. And, as if these weren't cool enough all on their own, I am also releasing a line of Canvas prints (more on that soon, I promise!)

I literally just got these in, so I haven't had too much time to sew up a lot of goodies, but I am excited to share with you a couple of projects we've made so far.

The two photos below are of our brand new Rachel PDF pattern, which is currently part of the BundleUp collection only. You can purchase this pattern as part of the BundleUp until Feb. 2nd. It will be released as a stand-alone pattern on our Etsy store on Feb. 16.

Here is the short-sleeve, neck-binding version in size 10 sewn in Leilani Teal with Fireworks Granite:

And here is the long-sleeve, mock-turtleneck version in size 3T, sewn in Fireworks Grape:

Above photo courtesy of Courtney Davis at www.sweeterthancupcakes.com

And last but not least, I wanted to show you how well my new Fireworks print coordinates with some other existing Riley Blake knits.  Here is a super secret new book project featuring my Fireworks Marigold paired up with Riley Blake's 1/2-inch Stripe.

That's it, folks! :) I would love to know what you think of my new knits! Please leave me your thoughts below. I always enjoy reading your comments.

NEW FABRIC RELEASE: In Bloom

I am so excited about my latest fabric release! In Bloom is my 3rd collection created exclusively for JoAnn Fabrics. I designed this collection a few months ago (around Spring-Summer of this year) so I drew inspiration from nature, flowers, and all the bright, beautiful colors around me. How fitting that this collection should launch right now while we are all dreaming of sunnier days, right?

Here's a sneak peek of the designs included in this collection. All designs are printed on Premium Quality Quilting Cottons, same quality as all my former collections! Look for them at your local JoAnn's store... and if they are not carrying MODKID STUDIO yet, please ask for it! :)

FREE Tutorial: Memory Board 

When my youngest, Sydney, asked me for a Memory Board for her birthday, I was ecstatic to finally be able to create something with my upcoming fabric line for JoAnn's, In Bloom (now in stores!). I knew right away that my Quatrefoil fabric would be the way to go and I could even use some of my own jacquard ribbon collections for this project.

Here is what you'll need:

• 18" x 24" canvas. I found a 2-pack at Michaels for $14.00 and used my 50% coupon, which made it only $7.00 for 2 canvases... $3.50 a piece! SCORE! Now I can make another one for her big sis! :)
• 22" x 28" piece of fabric. I used Quatrefoil Fuschia from  In Bloom, exclusively created for JoAnn Fabrics.
• 21" x 27" piece of quilt batting or fleece (for padding).
• 5 yards of ribbon at least 1/2" wide. I used Happy Dot from my Lush collection of Jacquard Ribbons.
• 5 brads.
• Staple gun
• Ruler and cutting tools
• X-Acto Knife (or any other sharp tool for creating small brad holes)

Now, let's get started...

1. Layer the fabric and batting/fleece over the front of the canvas, as shown below. The fabric will be a tad wider than the batting/fleece because you have cut it larger.

2. Fold the fabric over the batting/fleece to create a finished edge and wrap it over the edge of your canvas, placing your first staple in the center of one of the long sides, as shown below:

3. Repeat above step for all 4 sides, pulling the fabric taut each time, then proceed to work on your corners. For each corner, fold your fabric over the batting, as shown below. Pull tightly over the corner of the canvas and place a staple there, as shown in the second picture below...

4.  After all 4 corners are securely stapled in place, proceed to pull the fabric tightly along all the canvas edges, placing a staple every 2 inches or so. Be careful not to staple over existing staples.

Here's a close up of what your corners should look like:

5. Use a fabric marker to mark the positioning of your ribbons. I positioned mine at the center of all 4 sides of the canvas, spanning over to the opposite side center mark. These will form a wide diamond shape over your canvas. Then, the final two ribbons go from corner to corner forming an X shape, as shown below.  From my original 5 yards of ribbon, I cut 2 pieces at 36" long for the corner-to-corner (X) pieces, and 4 pieces at 18" long for the center-to-center (Diamond) pieces. The remaining 1 yard of ribbon will be used later for hanging the Memory Board.

6. Staple the ribbon to the back of your canvas, being sure to fold the ends of each ribbon in before placing your staple:

7. Use an X-Acto Knife (or your preferred sharp pointy tool) to pierce a tiny hole at the center of each ribbon intersection. Then, insert a brad in each hole for a total of 5 brads. The center-most brad will be a bit tricky to do, since there is a piece of wood back there for the canvas frame. No biggie... just lift the canvas away from the wood with one hand, while inserting the brad with the other. You'll have to maneuver your fingers in between the frame and canvas to secure the brad on the back side, but it's easy enough to do.

8. To create your board hanger, take your remaining 1 yard of ribbon and staple each ribbon end to the top 2 corners of the canvas, remembering to fold the ends of the ribbon down for extra reinforcement. Place 2 or 3 staples at each corner to make it extra sturdy!

And VOILA! Instant awesome gift for a little girl, your best friend or for yourself! 

If you are giving this Memory Board as a gift, you can include a box of Patty Young Designer Pins. They are so cute and perfect to use for this project!

Introducing... High Society

My newest fabric collection, as part of Jo-Ann Fabrics' Premium Quilting Cotton line, is called High Society. This line was inspired by a trip my family and I took to the Biltmore Estate last year. It's got a bit of a turn-of-the-century Victorian vibe with some color pop in true Patty Young fashion.

Here is the full color card (click on thumbnail to enlarge):

I had such a fun time designing this collection! While I was drawing the flowers and shapes, I was envisioning all the cute little projects I would soon be designing and sewing with it! Here are afew of those projects to whet your appetite:

 Our newest PDF sewing pattern is called the ZOEY SUMMER ENSEMBLE and it features two sets of tops and two sets of shorts. The cover photo shows Sydney wearing a top made with Wildflowers Navy and shorts made with Brocade Teal. Inset shot shows another set of shorts made with Rose Garden Navy.

Our ZOEY models in this next shot are wearing High Society prints as well...

Our PDF pattern, REESE, features an adorable dress made with Floret Pink:

Another one of our popular PDF patterns, the CECE Lap Neck Dress and Top, also features High Society in the cover shot. Our cover model is wearing a CECE dress made with Wildflowers Citron and Floret Pink.

You may also recognize Wildflowers Navy and Floret Navy in this adorable CECE dress...

And this top version of our CECE is made with Tea on the Terrace Citron and Brocade Fuscia:

If children's clothing is not your cup of tea, check out these projects I designed for JoAnns! Look for FREE patterns in upcoming mailers!

HIGH SOCIETY is now available at Jo-Ann Fabric stores nationwide and also online (along with some limited stock of my previous line, Rendezvous)! You can click on any of the fabric swatches and check availability at your local store by using the STORE LOCATOR widget at the bottom of the page.