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!

Tandy Tunic and Dress

Are you ready for a new Modkid pattern?!? The Tandy knit dress and tunic is only a click away! If you hurry over now there is an introductory 24-hour flash sale for HALF OFF. That's $5!! Until tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. 

The Tandy is a sweet and comfy knit dress or tunic featuring a cross-over yoke. There are no closures to install and it sews up quickly. It's perfect for everyday wear, and layers nicely for cooler weather.

TANDY PATTERN

$5 UNTIL FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS

THAT'S 50% OFF!!

Here's a little side story to attest to the comfort of this dress. Tandy, (yes, the little blonde on the cover is my Tandy) loves to dress up each and EVERY day. The funny thing is, that it is always the same dress. It is one of the Target princess nightgowns, so it's super soft and comfy. She has 3 of the same type, but she goes for Rapunzel EVERY time. The day she wore her Tandy dress, she never took it off to dress up. That may not mean much to you, but it makes a statement in our house!

Here is a little inspiration from our lovely testers:

Modkid London

If you are anything like me, the anticipation has been building for the next totally new Modkid pattern. I'm thrilled to say it's here!! The Modkid London by Patty Young offers a truly unique style. Patty's daughters even came up with name based on the "sophisticated and fun style 'like a London girl'."

The London dress has 3 wearing styles, without the need of different pattern pieces! The pockets can feature flaps or be sewn flat. By simply folding the bodice different directions or buttoning it up all the way, you end up with different looks.

I have a feeling these images from our lovely testers will express way more than my words about how great this pattern is!

You can purchase the London pattern on Etsy or Craftsy. We can't wait to see what you create!!

Hailey Girls (at last!)

Once upon a time, we released a tween/teen girls pattern named Hailey. It was an instant hit and we received lots of requests for smaller sizing of this pattern. Emails and Facebook comments would usually say something like "Love it, and I think my ___-year old (insert age lower than 10) would look great in it too!" We've always kept these requests in the back of our minds but we had so many other cute girls patterns in the works that we just never got around to it.

Until now, that is! And the best part is that, not only does our new Hailey Girls pattern come in sizes 2T to 10, but it also comes in downloadable PDF format, so you can print it and sew it as many times as you'd like as your child grows.

But wait, there's more (haha... I just had to say that!): for 1 week only our new Hailey Girls pattern is part of a super awesome pattern collection called BUNDLEUP! Have you heard of it? Basically, 11 top sewing pattern designers have gotten together to release 11 patterns in a bundle. If you buy at least 6 of them, you get them for $4.50 each and the more you buy the more you save.

Check out the BUNDLEUP sale HERE. Hurry, this sale ends on May 2nd!

But don't fret, after May 3rd, you will be able to purchase Hailey Girls at full retail price from our Etsy, Craftsy and YCMT stores (it won't be up there until then). But why pay retail while you can get this and a few other awesome patterns are 50%+ off?

Here are a few pictures of Hailey Girls to inspire you.

Just like our original pattern, Hailey Girls comes with 4 different views, and can be sewn with knits or wovens. Check out the sizing chart below to determine which size to make for your girl.

Our wonderful testers provided these amazing photos for your enjoyment:

Again, the link for BundleUp can be found HERE. The sale is live right now and it runs until May 2nd. Psst... there is a extra special surprise that will come to all those who purchase the bundle... you'll see!

Keagan Shirt Pattern

Ask and you shall receive! And I guess I can add "better late than never" too. :) For years and years, since we started our company, people have been asking us if we'll ever do sewing patterns for boys and I always said "One of these days." Well, I am so happy to announce that the day is finally HERE! We have just released our very first boy clothing pattern, available exclusively in downloadable PDF format from our Etsy store.

Our Keagan Shirts pattern for boys comes with four different styles to choose from: Hipster, Bowling, Rocker and Cuban (Guayabera), each with its own unique set of details.
This pattern comes in sizes 2T (toddler) to 10 (boys). Get it HERE!

Check out these amazing photos from our testers:

Bowling Version, size 3T.  Above photo courtesy of Kelly McCall.

NOTE: This is a downloadable PDF pattern, NOT A PAPER PATTERN. Your pattern can be opened with Adobe Reader and will print on standard letter-size paper (8.5" x 11"). There are 31 pages total in this document, including full-size pattern pieces.

Again, the KEAGAN pattern is available HERE.