Modern Quilts Unlimited, Fall 2013

Today was a great mail day! Our postman brought us comp copies of the Fall 2013 issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited, which features not only a 3-page story on our company, MODKID, but also a fun Crossbody Bag pattern that Emalee designed exclusively for MQU.

Look... my name is on the cover!! :)

There are lots of great photos from their visit to our studio. Here are just a few...

Check out this gorgeous Crossbody Bag. You'll have to make one for yourself and one for your BFF! They come in two sizes... this Web Extra has instructions for the large size, which is big enough to carry a laptop!

A million thanks to Carol, Vicki and Linda for the wonderful article. Carol and Vicki actually visited our studio for a photoshoot and spent a day with us in the beautiful Historic Downtown Bloomington. Vicki flew in all the way from Colorado! So, thank you gals! It was a pleasure hanging with you! :)

MODKID Studio Featured in Homespun Australia

We are so honored to be featured in the August 2013 Issue of Homespun Australia, in stores now.

This is probably the most beautifully-written article about us ever written, and I know you probably can't read it from these little snapshots so, with Homespun's permission, I have uploaded a PDF of the article if you'd like to check it out.

See it HERE.

It talks about our journey from crowded basement studio to our 2,800 sq. feet Historic Downtown location, and how we furnished and decorated this large empty space. I also give some tips and tricks on how to set up a studio on a budget (because, believe me, I know all about that!).

I would like to thank the folks at Homespun Australia for the beautiful feature and urge all our Aussie friends to run to the store and grab this beautiful magazine!

A peek inside our living quarters

The newest issue of GenerationQ magazine (Winter 2012) is on its way right now to book stores and quilt shops across the nation and I am excited to announce that it includes an 8-page spread on our home and studio. This is the one that features my buddy, and fellow fabric designer, Thomas Knauer (and his adorable daughter, Bee), on the cover. It's definitely a must get!

I let privacy go out the window and, for the first time ever, take you inside our home to show you where we cook, eat, hang out, and visit with friends. We even show you our daughters' bedrooms (yes, they picked up for a change)! Then, we take a little stroll over to the MODKID studio — which is about 10 minutes from our home — and visit with Emalee while she sews up a quilt that will appear in a future issue. Oh, so much to share! In this issue, you'll learn about my decorating style, my influences and background. Also, I speak about our transition from home-studio to full-fledged studio space... and all the trials and tribulations associated with that.



Psst... I've made this picture small on purpose... because I want you to go get the issue and read the article. In addition, you'll get some amazing projects, product reviews and more cool stories to peruse!

Go get one... NOW! If you can't find it at your local quilt shop or book store, here is a list of online retailers that carry GenerationQ magazine.

But, I do happen to have an extra copy of this issue in my hands and since I'm letting go of my hoarder tendencies, I am giving it away! If you'd like your chance at winning a copy of this issue, please leave a comment below. Don't forget to leave a way for us to contact you if you are the lucky winner. A winner will be randomly chosen next Wednesday, November 14th.

Best of luck!!

Two wonderful features for MODKID = two awesome projects for YOU!

This month we have the utmost pleasure to be featured in two prominent magazines, Australian Homespun and American Patchwork and Quilting. Yes, that is my name in the front cover of Australian Homespun... SQUEAL!



And since both magazines requested we provide their readers with a full fabric kit for making their project, that means that you can now make these awesome projects without having to search the world over for fabrics and notions.

Lets start with this adorable LILY SKIRT featured in Australian Homespun (Kit available here).



It's twirly, ruffly and oh, so sweet! And it even comes with a removable bow so she can also wear it on her hat, purse, backpack or headband. Instructions for this sweet skirt appear on pages 35 - 39 of Vol. 13 No. 10 in Australian Homespun, right after a wonderful bio on myself and history of MODKID. It's really a great read!



You can purchase a full kit with all the fabrics (from Lush) and notions needed to complete this skirt (up to a size 10) here. You can purchase a digital version of the magazine on Zinio or subscribe to it on Amazon. For a physical copy of the magazine check out the following distributors:
In the US: Erica's
In the UK: The Cotton Patch and Manor House Magazines
In New Zealand: Needlecraft
In Singapore:  Car Kit PTE

Now, on to this wonderfully soft knit quilt, called OVER UNDER QUILT, featured in the December 2012 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting (Magazine available in stores NOW! Kit available here.)

 

When the editors at APQ emailed me to ask if we would design a quilt featuring our new Heaven & Helsinki knits, I was so excited because, as some of you now, I LOVE working with knits and have made it a personal goal of mine to educate the world about how easy it is to sew with them (not scary at all!). And, I've also been preaching the virtues of knits for quilting because of our own experience with it. My girls both sleep with knit quilts in their beds... they are so soft and cuddly and feel so comfy against your skin.

Emalee designed this super easy-to-sew basket weave pattern, which APQ titled OVER UNDER, and we are offering a kit of all the fabrics you need to make the quilt top and pieced backing. All you'll need to add is the batting! Magazines are sold separately in news stands across the country. I found my copy at my local Barnes & Noble.



Images used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2012 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that MODKID is now offering worldwide shipping on our website. Up until now, we only shipped internationally for wholesale orders, but now we will ship anywhere and everywhere!

Featuring: YOU

I get so giddy when I see you guys out there in blogland sharing projects from Sewing MODKID Style! Sometimes Google Alerts notifies me. Sometimes I come across your projects on my Flickr group. And sometimes it's just by chance. I usually end up pinning them to my Sewing MODKID Style Board on Pinterest, so check it out from time to time and see if your project ends up there.

I wanted to share some of my recent finds, and if any of you out there have some that you would like me to share here or on Pinterest, please leave a comment and I will surely do a follow-up post featuring YOU.

Sweeter Than Cupcakes just shared a most fantastic Union Jack version of my Bloom Dress. I think this is just so awesome! And look at this sweet little girl... how happy she is! Makes my heart go pitter-patter.

Another adorable version of the Bloom Dress is this rainbow stripe dress with a mini pocket by Sweet Cheeks Designs. How sweet is this?!?

I love this sweet Bloom Dress just about as much as her super organized (and beautiful) closet behind the model. Photo by dwndestiny on Flickr.




One of my favorite Flickr finds was this pair of Banded Tanks and Yoga Pants by Sew Happy Ever After. They turned out so awesome, didn't they?



Then, Melanie O-Brien reviewed the Yoga Shorts on her blog as part of the Shorts On The Line sewalong. I LOVE this photo!



Noni and Looli has sewn just about half of the book already! I first saw her adorable Swim Suit on Flickr...



Then I saw that she has also made several Bubble Dresses, Bubble Skirts and Leggings. You go girl!



Check out this adorable Swim Cover Up by Siestas and Sewing (great blog name, by the way!)



And how about this one by Sewing By Shirley ? It looks almost identical to the one in the book! :)


Last, but certainly NOT least, is this amazing Harlequin Quilt by Sew Happy Ever After. In her Flickr description, she says,  

"This is the first successful quilt I've made! It was super duper easy and the instructions in the Sewing MODKID style book were fabulous! I actually made it in just a few hours, so I finished it the same day that I started cutting the fabrics." 

You have no idea how happy that makes me! YAY!!



Hope you guys enjoyed these as much as I did! If you have a project you'd like to share or get featured, leave a comment below with a link to your blog. You can also share your project on our Flickr group or on our Facebook Page. Also, check out my Pinterest board for more inspiration.

If you don't have the book yet, you can get a signed copy of Sewing MODKID Style here. 

It's me... on print, web and TV!

Happy Friday the 13th, friends! This could be your lucky day. If you've entered the free fabric contests, today is the day they announce the winners, so best of luck to you all.

Well, I have been lucky enough to be featured in a few awesome places the past few weeks, so I wanted to share the news with you.

First off, the newest issue of WebCents has a 3-page spread on yours truly. The lovely Teresa Coates and I had an hour-long phone chat right before Quilt Market, in which we covered everything from my newest collections to how I got started in the business. It's really an interesting read. It's a printed publication, but you can also subscribe to their website and read the articles online. Check it out!



Then, I had a dynamic chat over Skype with my buddy, Monica Lee, from Smart Creative Women. Every little nitty gritty detail of my career was covered, from my old days working as a Creative Director back in FL to my boutique selling days on eBay to receiving the fabric contract from MMF to hiring Emalee, leasing our studio space and beyond. Since I am so chatty, dear Monica had to break up the interview into 2 parts (haha) but make sure to catch Part 2 because I take you guys on a virtual tour of Modkid HQ! You will see everything, from the warehouse to the sewing and designing areas... you'll even get to meet my assistants, Emalee and Jessica! These fun little videos are not to be missed!!





And last but not least, my fabrics, ribbons and catalogs were featured in Episode 7 of the latest season of HGTV's Design Star!!! Yes, we all squealed when we saw these screen grabs a few weeks back and then seeing it on TV this week was just surreal. In the gray tub on the top right hand side of this picture there are several bolts of Grand Bazaar and Lush. Then they have the ribbons and catalogs on the table (click each photo to see a larger image on Flickr).







And yes, silly little me paused the TV and took a picture of the credit screen (I know I'm a dork!)



Here's a little video clip of David Bromstad discussing one of their previous episodes and my Lush fabric bolts sit behind him the whole time! Squeal!!



Have a great weekend, all!

Free Fabric Friday

I don't know about you guys, but my Friday came rather fast for me this week, not sure why. ;) I say we petition to have every Wednesday off from now on. :) I hope you guys had a great Independence Day celebration. We had two parties to attend, so I made a patriotic fruit salad, which was a TON of fun to prepare, and my kids' personal favorite party food: deviled eggs.

But I'm sure you're all wondering what my title up there ^^^ was all about, right? Well, if you all enjoy free fabric (don't we all?) then you're in for a treat! I am over that the Michael Miller Fabric's blog, Making It Fun, today chatting it up about my new collection, Heaven & Helsinki and I even give you a peek at my mood boards, my color palettes and my design process. I know you guys always enjoy behind the scenes stuff like that. Well, the best part is that they are giving away 1 yard cuts of EVERY fabric design in Heaven & Helsinki... that's 31 yards of fabric! Run, run, run...

And as if that wasn't cool enough, Fat Quarter Shop's blog, The Jolly Jabber, also has a fabric giveaway today, but this one's a bit tricky... you have to guess what the fabric is, and I'm not giving any hints! ;) Go, go, gooooo!

Stay tuned for a giveaway of our own... we are putting it together as we speak, er, type.

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...

Hot off the press!

You guys have no idea how long I've had to bite my tongue before I could spill the beans about this amazing feature in STUDIOS Magazine. This is the first time MODKID HQ has been featured in a national magazine and we couldn't be more thrilled! The issue just came out so run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore, and snatch yourself a copy. My local Barnes & Noble said theirs flew off the shelves almost as soon as they came in... eeee!

This issue just happens to feature one of my all time favorite interior designers... Genevieve Gorder of HGTV. I've been a fan of hers since the old Trading Spaces days. And now I am so honored to be sharing the pages of this awesome publication with someone of her caliber. In addition to Genevieve, there are also articles on Anna Maria Horner, Lotta Jansdotter and so many others!

And... of course... there are six glorious pages featuring over a dozen large detailed photos and even a floorplan of MODKID HQ. Just look at this... (I'm so giddy)



**I do have an extra copy here -- complimentary from the publisher -- that I'd love to give away, so leave me a comment below and I'll draw a lucky winner a week from today.**

Let's see, what other fun things are happening? QuiltHome featured yours truly in this week's e-newsletter (there's even a fun little video they shot at Quilt Market!!!) and is currently running an AWESOME sale on all things Patty Young. They have GRAND BAZAAR fabric & ribbons in so go check them out!! The coupon code QHAPY25 is good for 25% off all my fabrics, ribbons, and patterns. The coupon expires on Monday, August 15, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.

Also, The Creative Connection blog has a feature on me as well this week and we are giving away a 6-pattern bundle to a lucky winner for leaving a comment over there...

And last but not least, if you've visited our website this week, you've already noticed that we've been making lots of updates. There is way more to come so please keep checking... we have a new tab called KITS & SAMPLERS that will have fabric scrap bags and ribbon sampler boxes for those of you who just want a little taste test. Also, all of the new FALL 2011 patterns are up there but not available for purchase yet, as they are still at the printer. Watch for a full reveal next week!





So, I guess these are Exciting Thing #8, 9, 10 and 11! :)

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.

*************

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.

*************

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!

*************

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! :)