Like a time lapse movie...

This past weekend I slept like 40 hours total. Seriously, I wanted so badly to hang out and catch up with friends and family but I just kept falling asleep every moment I could... on the couch, on the bed, I even fell asleep on the floor while the kids played video games and I clutched a big fluffy pillow. I guess I was overdue for some R&R since for the last month or so I've averaged like 3 hours a night (or less on some nights!)

When I replay the sequence of events that happened in the past 2 weeks, it sorta feels like one of those time-lapse movies. Ya know what mean?

• May 10th - Jon, Emalee and I drove to Chicago then flew to Salt Lake City
• May 11th - First day of Quilt Market set-up





• May 12th - More booth set up
• Schoolhouse -- I met up with The Dancing Kyokos



Well, they didn't really dance but they did look amazing in their own versions of the Kyoko Misses', didn't they?! From left to right, Julie Herman (Jaybird Quilts), Kristin Link (Sew Mama Sew), me, Melanie Thornton (Above All Fabrics), Traci Butler (Hip Fabrics), Kelsea (Stash Quilts) and Mary Abreu (InTown Quilters). Not pictured, Emalee Grambo. I am forever thankful to all you lovely ladies for making my Kyoko Fashion Show a reality! It was by far the funnest schoolhouse session I've ever had. :)

• Sample Spree (yes, we actually did it!) Ahh, there's Emalee in her Kyoko!



• May 13th -- Day 1 of Quilt Market





• I was interviewed by Daria Muirhead of Boutique Café



• Then by Heidi Porth of Quilt Home



• Then by Pat Sloan of American Patchwork & Quilting (yes, 3 interviews in the same day! I guess everyone got wind that I was leaving early...)



I was also surprised by Kathy Miller & team with a big box of cupcakes (not all for me) to celebrate my birthday and also Christine's (we both had our 40th in May!). YUM!



• That evening we had our Michael Miller Fabrics sales meeting in which I had to recreate my Schoolhouse talk but without the aid of my Dancing Kyokos so it wasn't nearly as fun. After dinner, Jon flew across the country to NY to set up our Surtex booth the next day.

• May 14th - half day of Quilt Market for me because I flew to NYC that afternoon to exhibit at the Surtex licensing show for the following 3 days.

• The SHY Girls (Sweet Hot Yams) and other sweet friends surprised me for my birthday and brought me a Mocha Coconut (they even had them make it the way I like it -- on ice, not blended) and a Birthday Pop. Love my girls!!



Like I said before, I flew to NYC that afternoon and the rest of the story I will save for another post, but for now I'll leave you with a few more pics of my booth at Quilt Market. This time we went simple with a single booth and no hard walls, but still saturated with color and pattern. :)











A million thanks to my lovely assistant, Emalee, who sewed about 95% of the items you see in my booth and also to my sweet mom and dear friend Valerie who made some awesome purses and accessories to add the finishing touch to our display!

Free Tutorial Friday

It's Summer time and do I have a treat for you! The über talented Valerie Haberer of Sew Much More designed this super fun and easy-to-sew Summer Strip Quilt to go along with our Sun & Surf Tote pattern. And now that Playdate is in stores worldwide and our new patterns have shipped to all who pre-ordered, feel free to use this tutorial to saturate your Summer months with color!



Those of you who stopped by our Quilt Market booth last month may remember this adorable mini-quilt on our far left wall. It is the perfect compliment to our Sun & Surf Tote since it rolls up and fits inside snugly.



It's such a clever design where the strips are sewn right onto a standard bath towel.



You can embellish the towel with embroidery or applique to add an extra touch of whimsy.



Click on the image below to download the free PDF tutorial. The file is 4.3MB so if you have a slow connection, let me know and I can send you a low-res version. All tutorial links are also posted on our side bar... over there >>>



Enjoy!

(pssst... there's still time to enter my scraptastic giveaway... winners will be chosen on Sunday, June 2oth)

Daaaad! Mom's playing with my dolls again!













I admit it: I've been getting in touch with my inner child lately. These mini-MODKID outfits have been so much fun to play with, but I can't take credit for them. You guys may remember Valerie Haberer, who threw that awesome Open House & sewing contest at her store, Sew Much More, back in September. Well, Val ended up sewing some samples for my Quilt Market booth and surprised me with a miniature version of my Ava pattern, which we immediately dubbed mini-me. We took her to Market (to sorta feel out the crowd) and the squeals of delight could be heard all through the convention floor!

So here is the deal: MODKID IS GROWING! No, I am NOT pregnant. But I have birthed 10 sewing patterns and 2 fabric collections in the past 9 months without as much as a day of maternity leave. Soooo, in order to grow the company while still keeping my sanity, Jon and I decided to hire our first ever licensed designer. Val brings many years of experience to the table, plus she is probably the only person I've met that rivals my creative OCD. She is creative, focused, meticulous and a perfectionist in every sense of the word.

Let's learn a little bit about Valerie:

"I've been sewing for as long as I can remember. I began making doll clothes out of Kleenex when I was a kid for that leggy fashion doll so popular! I started making dolly clothes for my youngest daughter over 12 years ago. And, even now, every time she comes home from college, I try to make dolly a new dress. Because dollies look sweet in just about everything, making clothes for them is creative and always puts a smile on my face! And, making matching dolly clothes from the Modkid patterns is way too much fun! Hopefully, you'll agree!"

We are so excited to add Val to our creative team. Just you wait, in addition to the mini-MODKID patterns she is also working on a few other super cool surprises to add to the MODKID line-up. I can't wait for you to see our January 2010 sewing pattern release!

And now that I'm talking about changes to the company, I should also mention another big change. You guys all know how much Jon (here he is modeling the bee tie I made for him) has helped me out pretty much since I started this crazy endeavor of mine. Not only is he an amazing source of moral support but he has also been there to help out with whatever I need, whether it's website updates, booth building, studio remodeling, heavy lifting, you name it!

But now that our company is growing exponentially, Jon has completely taken over our fulfillment department. He makes sure all orders go out in a timely manner and keeps our website up to date. This allows me more time to create and manage creative partners, which lately has become a full-time job. So, if any of you retail customers ever have a question regarding your order, need a list of distributors or would like your website link to be added to our textiles or patterns page, you can contact Jon directly at jjyoung@modkidboutique.com.

So, that's it for MODKID news right now. Stay tuned for the full pattern reveal coming soon! I'm also preparing a super fun giveaway before the Holidays, so please keep checking the blog.

Happy Turkey Day!!