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!!

Welcome to MODKID, Courtney!

Our little company has grown in so many different ways during the past 7 years we've been in business. It's hard for me to even fathom that it's already been that long. I still remember with fondness the "baby years", when I was doodling designs for Andalucia and concepting our first 4 sewing patterns. Well, we're certainly all grown up now! We currently have 64 paper patterns, 25 PDF patterns, 2 books and 14 fabric lines... and counting! When I spell it all out it seems like a lot but I certainly didn't do it all alone... I've been lucky to have a lot of help along the way, from assistants to interns to pattern testers and even my dear hubby, who has spent his fair share of overnighters here at MODKID.

As social media grew and evolved within the past few years, we have tried to stay current and on top of all the latest trends. We have a Facebook Fan Page, a Facebook MODKID Group, a Twitter account, a Pinterest account and an Instagram account and would love for you all to follow us there. However, this growth in social media networks brought with it a need for someone who could manage these accounts for us and help promote the company while I concentrate on more fabric and pattern designs. We looked long and hard for the right person... someone who not only was well versed in most social media platforms but also knew our products inside and out. After all, whoever filled this position would also help answer questions and concerns from fans. Our pattern tester, Courtney Davis, seemed like the perfect person for this role. She was already familiar enough with our patterns, since she had sewn and/or tester a majority of them for her daughters. Plus she had this beautiful blog where she showcased her sewing and photography skills. There was no question in my mind that Courtney was the right person, but would she take on the challenge? Well, folks... she said YES!... and we couldn't be more thrilled!

A little bit about Courtney:

When Courtney Davis left the corporate world to stay home with two daughters, she found her strengths as a structural engineer lent themselves to an even greater joy found in the technical, mathematical, and artistic demands of sewing. A six month old daughter, an encouraging Mom, and a very old hand-me-down sewing machine came together at the perfect time providing inspiration for what is now a passionate hobby. Over 5 years later, with updated machines, a supply of tools, and endless inspiration from favorite designers, she is sewing daily and always looking for new challenges. Take a look at her sewing adventures shared on Courtney’s website at www.sweeterthancupcakes.com where she also tackles over the top birthday parties and dabbles in baking and crafting. She hopes to bring her personal style with a bit of technical background to the fans of Modkid.


Courtney will be managing our newly formed MODKID Group on Facebook, so we hope you will all join and start sharing your creations, asking questions and having fun! She will also be conducting some sew-alongs here on the blog in the near future and will also be sharing all of her MODKID creations on our many social media platforms. In addition, now that we have some extra help, we plan to host a few giveaways and contests here on the blog, so stay tuned!

I leave you with a collage of Courtney's creations made with MODKID patterns:

Hailey Misses and BundleUp!

"Ask and you shall receive" has always been our motto here at MODKID! So many times we have designed specific patterns based on customer feedback and popular demand, and this is no exception. When we released our Hailey Girls pattern a few months back, a little girls' version of our already popular Hailey pattern for tweens/teens, it immediately became one of our top sellers and its popularity was followed by countless requests for a women's version.

Well, your wait is finally over! And as if this release wasn't exciting enough, we have added it to the current BUNDLE UP collection, so you can get not only this awesome pattern, but 11 other patterns for women, designed by the industry's top PDF pattern designers!! (NOTE: If you are interested in Hailey Misses alone, the pattern will be listed on our Etsy and Craftsy stores on July 10th.)

Let's talk about Hailey Misses first and then I'll tell you all about the BundleUp collection.

Hailey is a flirty dress and shirt with several length options designed for women. It is a versatile pattern sewn with either wovens or knits, and with no zippers, buttons, or snaps, it sews up in a flash. A comfy and stretchy shirred section below the bust creates a feminine silhouette while making this garment versatile for women of all shapes and sizes.

Never sewn with knits before? No worries! Sewing with knits is easy and fun with this step-by-step guide which includes lots of tips, photos and diagrams to guide you along.

Our tester, Kara Orr of www.leighleecollection.blogspot.com sewed up View B (Tunic) in a woven cotton fabric.

Our pattern tester, Courtney Davis (www.sweeterthancupcakes.blogspot.com) sewed up View A (Top) in a soft jersey fabric.

Our pattern tester, Crystal Dekker (www.thatswhatshecrafted.blogspot.com), made View A (Top) in chiffon with the idea of wearing it with a little cami underneath.

And last, but certainly not least, our tester, Jenny Fish, at www.sewprettydresses.blogspot.com, sewed up View C (Dress with no ruffle) of Hailey Misses and she used Zig Zag Dot (jersey) from Heaven & Helsinki by Patty Young. Read Jenny's review here.

We've also found two additional non-tester pattern reviews here and here.

Now, for information about BundleUp:

Bundle UP is a collective of your favorite established PDF sewing pattern designers coming together to offer you a sweet deal on both hot new patterns and your favorite closet staples from past releases. We’ve selected the perfect patterns with YOU in mind- mix and match styles, and patterns with multiple views and lots of options. No matter the occasion, we’ve got you covered.

Soooo... Who is part of the new BundleUp, you ask?

Anddddd... What sort of patterns will I find in the new BundleUp? Well, I'm glad you asked, because we happen to think you can create an entire Summer wardrobe with just the patterns in this bundle. Check it out: (And, yes! The coloring book is a FREE download included with the purchase of your bundle!! Yippee!)

Ok!!! Anything else I should know?

As a matter of fact, yes!  There is a HUGE giveaway associated with the new BundleUp. If you sew up a pattern from the bundle and share it here, you can be entered to win this amazing prize package!

So, what are you waiting for?? Get the Bundle, start sewing and enter the giveaway!!! It's what all the cool kids are doing these days! :)

Malibu Cross-Back Dress

(Quick links: Etsy / Craftsy)

It all started out with Sophie asking me to make her a simple dress for her end-of-year orchestra concert. This girl never asks me for this sort of stuff, so I had to jump on it. She had some pretty specific requests: it had to be a knit dress (because they are more comfy), sleeveless (because Summer is coming) and not too dressy (because she's just not the frilly type).  Our Hailey pattern was perfect for this, but she quickly reminded me that she wore that dress at last year's concert (ooops!). So, I set forth to design something new and exciting for her. I'd had this idea in my head for a cross-back dress for a while. The problem is that I had less than a day to complete this... oh, yes, did I forget to mention that? So, there was little to no time for error.

I made a quick & dirty prototype and that was what she ended up wearing to the concert. It wasn't perfect by any means... the back opening was too low for her comfort level, so she ended up wearing it with a sweater, and the high-low skirt curve wasn't very noticeable (it looked more like a straight mini skirt), so I knew I needed to go back to the drawing board and re-draft a couple of things. Oh, and did I mention that I had to make one for little sister Sydney too? Yup.

After I shared these pictures on social media, the comments started pouring in... Will this be a pattern? Please make a pattern for this dress! I want one in my size! and so on and so forth.

I went back to the drawing board... re-drafted the back bodice completely, made the high-low skirt curve more dramatic, added 2 more skirt lengths/styles, sewed up a couple more prototypes and, after I felt the shape and fit were perfect, I graded the final pattern from sizes 2T to 12.

Here is the final outcome:

The Malibu Cross-Back Dress pattern comes with three different skirt lengths/styles (click photo to enlarge):

It can be sewn with knits (which was my original intent) or with wovens! I was determined to make this pattern work for all types of fabrics. Check it out below, sewn in my Just My Type quilting cotton fabrics:

After pattern instructions and diagrams were complete, it was off to the testers, and boy did they have fun with this pattern! Here are a few of their pictures... I am in love!

Two of my testers loved it so much that they made multiple dresses! WOW! Every tester reported that they sewed this pattern in just about an hour and everyone was surprised at how easy and quickly it went together and how little fabric it uses for such a WOW effect. It's always a good day at MODKID when we get such positive feedback from our testers! :)

Of course, rigorous pattern testing always brings new challenges. We quickly found out that the maxi skirts sewn in wovens needed to be cut wider so that the girls didn't have to shorten their strides when walking. Done. We also discovered that the dress could be bound with fold-over elastic, double-fold bias tape or home-made binding, and that each method yielded a different look. We seriously could not be more thankful to our awesome pattern testers, who are always so helpful!

Check out tester Courtney Davis' pattern review here.

The MALIBU Cross-Back Dress can be purchased on Etsy or Craftsy.

To see the full inspiration gallery, click here.

MODKID's Kimono Wrap

We are thrilled to finally be able to reveal our contribution to the Road Trip Pattern Club.  If you're a member, you already received this pattern in your inbox this morning. If you're not a member yet, no worries, it's not too late to join and receive ALL the fabulous patterns including this one!

If you're not familiar with the Road Trip Pattern Club scroll to the end of this post to learn more.

 

You'll be the envy of all your friends in your new Kimono Wrap. Whether you use it as a beach cover-up in sheer fabrics or as a lightweight cocktail dress sewn in slinky knits, this will be your go-to pattern this Summer. It also works perfectly as a bathrobe sewn in French Terry or as a glamorous night-time robe sewn in sexy silks or satins.

Because our Kimono Wrap pattern is made based on your own body measurements, it will fit all body types. No more worrying about a perfect fit. Our easy-to-follow instructions will guide you step by step through taking your measurements and creating your custom-made garment.

Check out some inspiration images from our wonderful testers:

Crystal Dekker, with That's What SHE Crafted, made a shorter wrap and used 60"-wide satin fabric. We think she looks fabulous in her new Kimono Wrap! Crystal thinks they would make ADORABLE bride/ bridesmaids robes for getting ready on the big day.

  

Kara Orr of www.leighleecollection.blogspot.com used cotton voile for her Kimono Wrap. It looks so drapey and comfy!

Jenny Fish, at www.sewprettydresses.blogspot.com, used Pip Studio's Lawn 40"-wide fabric for her beautiful Kimono Wrap.

And last but not least, Kristen McVane sewed her Kimono Wrap in a floral rayon. Photographer Roark Nelson, www.roarkphoto.blogspot.com, took these amazing photos of model Summer Wardlaw. 

We are in love!

Now, if you don't know about the ROAD TRIP PATTERN CLUB, read on:

The Road Trip Pattern Club is an exciting collaboration between 5 of the top sewing pattern designers in the industry, Betz White, Patty Young, Carla Crim, Liesl Gibson and Carolyn Friedlander. Every three weeks from late May through August, club members will receive an exclusive brand new PDF sewing pattern delivered directly to your inbox.

There are 5 travel inspired patterns that include bags, accessories and women’s clothing, ranging in skill from confident beginner to intermediate. The designs will be a mystery until they are revealed at each road trip “destination” every 3 weeks.

The first pattern was released on Tuesday May 27 (see it here). The Kimono Wrap is the 2nd pattern in the series and will be followed by 3 more patterns revealed every three weeks through August. The one-time membership fee for the club is $35 for all 5 patterns.

 

LEXI inspiration on SEW FAB

One of the wonderful things about being part of the SEW FAB group has been getting to "meet" so many fabulous designers! Even though we have never met face to face and most of us live nowhere near each other, we do have one thing in common... SEWING! And with that comes a love for patterns, fabric and photography.

In case you don't know about SEW FAB, click HERE to learn more. 

The SEW FAB bundle can be purchased HERE.

Our LEXI DRESS AND PEPLUM TOP pattern is our contribution to the SEW FAB bundle. Today I am sharing some LEXI Dresses made by my fellow SEW FAB designers.

First off we have Karly Nelson, of Paisley Roots, who actually made her own reverse appliqué technique on the front of this LEXI dress as part of Project Run and Play. WOW, I am in love with this version of Lexi! The pattern on the front is absolutely FABULOUS!!

Next we have designer Sara Beth Upshaw, of Molly Blossom, sharing her wonderful up-cycled Monsters Inc Lexi dress. How cute is she? I think she likes her new dress.... and so do I!

And last, but certainly not least, Jeanine Thomlinson of Scientific Seamstress added a dinosaur free-stitched embroidery design to the front of this Lexi dress. How awesome is that?! She said "My girl loooooves wearing it! She's worn it twice now this week. haha"

This pattern and 19 others are included in the SEW FAB bundle! You will receive 20 PDF patterns for $29.99 ... that's less than $1.50 per pattern! A better deal than that you will not find.

I also wanted to share again a few of my tester photos from our original Lexi pattern launch, because they are so awesome!!

So what are you waiting for? Run out and get your SEW FAB bundle now! This offer ends on May 13th.