#TheDress explained...

By now, you pretty much have to be living under a rock if you haven't heard of #TheDress controversy. It's all over social media, the news, and even celebrities are divided on this issue.

And yes, I know that by now it has pretty much been proven that the dress is Blue and Black, so I am not here today to convince you that it is White and Gold. I am only here to show you why half of us see it that way. It is all a matter of perception and how your brain processes information.

See the composite I created below. The photo on the far left is of snow in my own backyard, taken this morning on my iPhone. The bright parts at the top is where the sun was hitting the snow. The darker, blue-ish area at the bottom is where the house was casting a shadow on the snow. Now, I know that snow is white, so my eye sees all of it -- even the darker, blue-ish areas -- as white. That is how my brain processes that information. My brain does not say "OH, look. There's white snow and blue snow!" When I look at #TheDress photo on the right, the lighter portions of the dress look the same color to my eye as the shaded snow areas on the left photo, therefore, I process that information as WHITE.

Now, onto the gold versus black debate. I have also placed two Pantone swatches on the far right of the photo. One denotes PMS872 Gold, and the other one is Black. My eye sees the darker portions of this dress as looking exactly like the top Pantone swatch. And yes, I know lots of you out there can use the same reasoning I did above with the snow and say that the photo was underexposed, so the black areas are showing brownish/tannish. And apparently, that IS the case. But, I cannot help it that my brain processes this information as gold/tan, not black.

That is it! I am not arguing that the dress in White and Gold. Just merely explaining why some of us (or apparently most of us... 75%) see it as such.

My biggest concern at the moment is is not this dumb dress, but my fabric designs! When I think I have drawn a magenta hummingbird, is everyone seeing it as such, or are some of you seeing it in a different color? Hmmm...

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.

Introducing: Rendezvous
My newest line of premium quilting cottons, designed exclusively for Jo-Ann Fabrics

Fabric aficionados, I have a big surprise for you! I was going to wait until Labor Day weekend to reveal my BIG NEWS, but a little birdie told me that the cat was out of the bag and running around all over Instagram, so I had to speed up my announcement. ;)

I am super excited to tell you guys about my newest premium quilting fabric collection, Rendezvous, available exclusively at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores® nationwide. The collection is already available in stores and online!

Rendezvous was inspired by the Art Deco movement emanating from Paris in the 1920s.
It’s the Roaring Twenties, a decadent time for music, fashion, travel... and romance. The color palette is vibrant and retro juxtaposed against a soft cream ground, and the designs have a patina effect to evoke a nostalgic feel.

As you can probably tell already, these are all new designs and completely different from those carried exclusively in independent quilt shops. My Jo-Ann Fabrics exclusive collections will allow us to get our quality fabrics into the hands of those quilters and sewists who don't have easy access to our wonderful independent quilt shops.

And there's more! In addition to the new fabric line, we've also designed a couple of fun projects to get you started. These are FREE from us to you and are available now on the Jo-Ann website. 

There is the POPPIES APRON, featuring my Vintage Poppies Red fabric, and the CATHEDRAL WINDOWS PILLOW, featuring my Cathedral Windows fabric.

 
If you live in the Central Illinois area, don't miss my appearance on Saturday, September 28th from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. at the Bloomington Jo-Ann store. I would love to see you there! Below is the flyer for it:

The first 17 people to come by and see me on the 28th will receive a FREE copy of Generation Q magazine (the issue that features my studio!), compliments of my friends at GenQ!

What's new?

WOW, it's been nearly 6 weeks since I blogged! This Summer has proven to be one of the busiest Summers I've had in a long time (if ever). Lots of new exciting projects coming up which, as it usually goes, I have to keep hush-hush until it's all said & done.

But I did want to keep you abreast of some of the stuff that's been keeping us busy for the past few weeks.

On the PDF pattern front, we are working on a few new designs, and we just released a new pattern yesterday. It's called the JOSIE Retro A-line dress.

Josie is a sweet A-line dress with retro styling. It features a center gore with wrap-around tabs and adorable cap sleeves. With only 5 pattern pieces to cut, this dress will be an easy sew, so you can make it over and over again in all your favorite designer fabrics!

At the moment you can buy JOSIE (along with all of our other e-patterns) here:

• Our Etsy Store
• You Can Make This
• Craftsy

Here's some wonderful pictures I received from my tester, Debbie Clifton. This gives you a clearer idea of the fit and construction. It has adorable button-back tabs for a more fitted look and sweet cap sleeves. How perfect is this for back-to-school wardrobe? I know, I know... they just got out of school, but it's never too early to start planing ahead, right?

On the PAPER CRAFTING front, I have been creating lots and lots of new shapes for my Silhouette store. My most popular, by far, have been these fun and colorful cupcake wrappers shown below. And I can't lie... I do love that in order to photograph them well, we need to get some of these amazing cupcakes from Sugar Mama Bakery here at the studio. It does sweeten our day quite a bit. ;)

Can I just say...YUM!

On the PUBLISHING front... oh boy, where do I even begin!? I am in the middle of signing contracts for not one, but two (yes, 2!) books to be published in 2014. Sorry that I can't reveal anything more on that, but just trust me when I say it's exciting and NEW for us, so I hope you all will be just as excited about them.

We have also been working on LOTS and LOTS of projects for different magazines. In addition to the quarterly SCRAP LAB projects for American Patchwork & Quilting (a new one will be out on August 13th!), we are also busy designing projects for Modern Quilts Unlimited. Actually, we will be featured THREE times on MQU this year, including a studio tour later this year! Stay tuned.

Currently, we have a quilt in the current issue of QUILTY Magazine (a Fons & Porter publication):

And a table runner in the current issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited:

On the FABRIC FRONT, a little birdie told me that Just My Type is shipping in just a couple of weeks, so we have been busy creating projects for the fabric launch. Check your favorite store and see if they have Just My Type on pre-order. I hear it's selling out FAST!!

Thank you all for the wonderful comments on my blog reveal last month! I am thrilled that you love it as much as I do. :)

OK, that is it for now!! PHEW. Like I said above, LOTS and LOTS more exciting projects coming up soon... new patterns, new fabric, new magazine projects, books and paper crafting items, so STAY TUNED!

Introducing: Just My Type
Spring 2013 Fabric Collection

This is going to be literally the quickest new fabric reveal I have ever done. I am leaving for Portland to attend the International Quilt Market at the crack of dawn tomorrow and I haven't even packed yet, so as soon as I hit publish on this baby I am running home to do just that.

A little about Just My Type: It is a vintage type-inspired collection designed with a retro color palette and printed with a faux linen texture, for the “look” of linen but the “feel” of quilting cotton.

The collection boasts 25 prints produced on premium quality quilting weight cotton.

This collection is so new that it's not even up on the Michael Miller website yet, but I thought I should let you guys know what I was showcasing this week, in case any of you are going to attend the show. Here is a breakdown of all the prints (I promise to expand on this more when I get back!)

How about some inspiration images, eh? We didn't get a chance to sew up too much because we've only had the fabric here for about 7 days. But we did manage to make a few cute dresses from our Spring 2013 pattern collection. Below, from left to right are: Grace, Bailey, Riley and Quinn.

Of course, a few pillows for the booth...

And some other booth décor items. :)

And another little surprise before I go... JUST MY TYPE PRECUTS! Yeah, baby!
(these are just prototypes but they should look a lot like this when they're done)

Would love to hear what you think of my new collection. At this time tomorrow I should hopefully be in Portland getting ready to start setting up my booth, so it would be nice to have some comments to read while I'm away. :)