MODKIDBOUTIQUE

A winner and new products from MODKID

Hello, all! First off I want to thank you all for entering our GenerationQ Magazine giveaway. Your comments were all lovely, as usual, but we had to choose one winner, so we used the random number generator and this time... it's lucky number FIVE!!

DianeY11:17 AM

Love this magazine! I have the first 2 issues and plan to buy this one when I find it online. Seems none of the few quilt shops in Hawaii carry it! It would be cool to win a copy. Thanks for the chance

Congrats, Diane! Looks like we'll be sending this mag to sunny Hawaii (wish I could come with!!) Please email your mailing address to Emalee at egrambo@modkidboutique.com and she will get your magazine to you right away.

So... on to exciting new projects! At Quilt Market, I had an extensive conversation with the amazing Carla Crim (a.k.a. The Scientific Seamstress) and although I had [several times] claimed that we don't do PDF patterns, by the end of our meal, she had me convinced that this was the thing to do (that tricky girl!). This led to a conversation with Kim of YouCanMakeThis.com and now we are excited to announce our first PDF pattern!

May I present to you... MODKID MOD OWL STUFFIE! We made a few of these last year as Christmas presents to my girls, nieces and friends. They were such a hit that we decided to test it out as our first PDF pattern.

This adorable Owl pattern is available now as a download at:

The pattern is $7.95 no matter where you purchase it from (choose your favorite site!) and it comes as an 8-page downloadable PDF document. Print it at 100% (no scaling) right to your desktop printer. Not need to enlarge the pattern... it has been tiled so all you have to do is print, cut, tape and sew! Step-by-step sewing instructions, detailed diagrams and tons of photos are also included in true MODKID fashion.

In addition to the PDF patterns (yes, that is plural because we have some more in the works!), we also have some new offerings in the Silhouette Online Store. Check out these adorable shapes you can download and use for cards, scrapbooking, party invitations, gift tags and so much more!

And this is not all. I have some amazing projects to share with you in the coming weeks. So, please check back here often to see all the fun little goodies we have been working on at the MODKID studio!

Happy Holidays, friends!

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!!

Quilt Market via Instagram

My new iPhone5 and super cool case featuring Textured Basics came in just a few days before I flew out to Quilt Market, so the night before I left I made an executive decision: not bringing my big camera! This is the first time I've done that and for those of you who know me well, you know that that thing is practically an extra appendage for me. But, being that I was traveling alone this time, and it was a quick trip for me, and the new phone boasted such an incredible camera, I figured it was worth a try, so let me know what you think!

I did have a booth, a tiny little thing (5' x 8'), but bursting with color and pattern! Here are a few shots...

The big square quilt in the back was designed by the wonderful Ellen Maxwell and it will be a free download on the Michael Miller site, once the fabrics come in. The small table runner on the left side was designed by none other than Debbie Taylor of Fat Quarter Shop and It's Sew Emma patterns, and it's currently available on the Fat Quarter Shop site as a FREE download!

I did manage to play with the Panoramic photo feature that comes built into the iPhone5 camera app and I must say, I LOVE IT! (click on it to enlarge)

I *heart* going to Quilt Market not only because it affords me the opportunity to show off my newest projects, but also because I get to visit with dear friends, some which I only get to see once or twice a year. This has quickly become my family away from home and I truly look forward to catching up and sharing a good meal (or drink) at one of the many fabulous events that surround the show.

I had the pleasure of spending some QT with these wonderful ladies... from left to right Shannon Robinson (of Fabric Nosherie), Laura Gunn, Trenna Travis (newest licensed designer at Michael Miller Fabrics), me and Heather Bailey.

I love the vintage feel of this Instagram pic of Kait Witte (of Michael Miller Fabrics) sporting a gorgeous skirt which she sewed herself out of Textured Basics.

At Fabric 2.0, I documented the very moment in which Quilts, Inc. "bought the party" from Caroline Devoy. heehee

Then Bob Ruggiero (Quilts) tried to make Jon jealous. I used this picture to remind Jon to never ever skip a Quilt Market again. ;)

After the party, a few of us headed across the street to The Grove for dinner and lively conversation. Here I am with Aneela Hoey and Roxane Cerda (C&T Publishing). Not pictured, Carla Crim.

The following night it was the Modern Quilt Guild Party and I am sad that this is the only picture I captured that evening. Here I am with Jessica Levitt (left) and Jenean Morrison. (sorry, so blurry! I guess the photographer must've had one too many glasses of wine!)

In addition to the parties and dinner, I also love visiting my friends and associates at their booths... you never know what you'll find and what sorta trouble you'll get into.

At the GenerationQ booth, I spotted my quilt hanging right at the front! This design will appear in a future issue. And... in case you haven't heard... the *current* issue is pretty darn special to us. Go get it! Seriously!! (more on that soon)

At the GenQ booth I had a photo op with none other than Betz White and Thomas Knauer (pssst... Thomas, a.k.a. waycoolkid, graces the cover of the current issue I was talking about! Don't miss it!)

And here's me being silly with GenQ's picture quilt...

Speaking of quilts in booths (not that there aren't enough at this show! haha) I also spotted our Houndstooth Quilt -- a version made by Kristen McVane of Stash Quilts -- in the United Notions booth! Doesn't it look gorgeous all made up in Heaven & Helsinki?? WOW!

Over at the Westminster booth, I got the pleasure to speak with Ty Pennington, who was there to promote his newest fabric collection. What a nice guy!

And last, but certainly not least, I visited for a while with the dynamic duo of Kim and Kris of YouCanMakeThis and The DIY Dish fame.

While we were chatting it up, Lizzy House showed up and we couldn't resist taking this The View-esque photo... haha

Yes, we were discussing very important matters... can't you tell?

Well, I guess for not having my camera with me I didn't do too shabby of a job of documenting the show, eh? Thanks for coming along with me on this crazy ride... especially to all of you out there who kept me virtual company while I spent much-longer-than-I-wanted-to in airports last week. (that's what I get for flying out on Hurricane day!)

OK, one more and then I'll go. I leave you with a sweet pic of me and my booth mates. I love these gals!! (photo courtesy of Trenna Travis Studio)

Stay tuned for GenerationQ magazine info and giveaway... coming shortly!

Introducing... MODKID® Micro Minis!

It is reveal time, ladies and gentlemen! We are over the moon excited to announce this brand new product for us, called MODKID® Micro Minis!

haha... now that I got your attention, let me tell you about these. MODKID® Micro Minis are a collection of sewing-card-style patterns that fit in the palm of your hand, are easy to sew and inexpensive to buy. These Micro Minis are perfect for classes, workshops, gifts and more.

Here are some specs for you:

Finished size 4.25"w x 5.5"h
Full color inside and out
Printed on coated card stock
Packaged in a crystal-clear resealable poly bag with a large hanging hole
MSRP $4.95 USD

Those of you already familiar with our line of MODKID patterns will notice the same high quality and attention to detail we are known for, from the detailed assembly instructions to the easy-to-follow diagrams, just in a new teensy-tiny format. Also, we did not skimp on testing. All of our patterns are thoroughly tested by sewists just like you from all across the country. A special thanks goes to Liz Mouse, Andrea Thomas-Lambe, Cheryl Santos, Bridgett Wright, Kristen McVane, Terri Hoffacker and Pat Alberts for your helpful feedback!

OK. Let's go through these one by one.

DAPPER

Layered bow tie and adjustable suspenders in child and adult sizes.

For the little (or big) man in your life, we've designed this set of layered bow tie and adjustable suspenders perfect for all special occasions. He has never looked more handsome!

HOUNDSTOOTH QUILT

Finished size: 50" w x 70" h

We designed this bright, modern and bold quilt based on my Vintage Houndstooth print from my Textured Basics fabric collection. It looks equally as adorable made up in 2 colors, like this:

WRAP SKIRT

Sizes XS-L women

Our easy-to-sew wrap skirt for women is feminine, figure-flattering and fashionable! This is the perfect canvas for that bold print you've been dying to use. Best suited for XS - L women.

JEWELRY ROLL

Quilted roll-up bag with several compartments

Bring your favorite jewelry pieces everywhere you go with this fabulous Jewelry Roll. Inside, it has two necklace and ring holders, six separate pockets of varying sizes and a zippered pouch to keep your most valued possessions safely tucked in. It rolls up into a sweet and compact little package that will fit easily into your purse or carry-on luggage. Finished size: 19.5"w x 9.5"h (Open)

MOD CASES

Quilted ipad, iphone and eyeglass cases with accessory pockets

Protect your most prized possessions with these quilted designer cases. These are the perfect stash-buster projects because they use small scraps of fabric, but look oh, so cool when finished!

LUNCH BAG

Finished Size 10"h x 7"w x 6"d

Be fashionable — even at lunchtime — with this super chic insulated lunch bag. It has plenty of room for your food and drink, plus an extra little interior pocket to hold an ice pack. It features a padded handle and Velcro® closure.

All of our Micro Mini Patterns are currently in stock and ready to ship! RETAILERS: If you will be attending the International Quilt Market next week in Houston, please come by my booth (#1318) to see these in person. The first 10 store owners to come by will receive a free sample set of all 6 patterns!

And for all of you out there, please leave us a comment and let us know what you think of this new format and the projects we've offered. We'd love to know what sorts of projects you'd like to see for future Micro Minis (or regular-sized patterns). We will draw a winner next Wednesday who will receive a sample set of all 6 Micro Mini Patterns!

Happy Sewing!

UPDATE! Contest is now closed. We used Random.org to choose a winning comment and it was... lucky number 6!

KellyS1:31 PM

Love these! I am really drawn to the minis already available in my LQS because of the price. I would love to see more clothing for women/girls, purses, and especially more quilts. Thank you for coming out with these!

CONGRATS, Kelly! Please email us with your mailing address at info AT modkidboutique DOT com to claim your prize!

Introducing... Textured Basics!

I am thrilled to announce my newest fabric collection with Michael Miller Fabrics, being revealed next week at International Quilt Market (Booth #1318) and shipping to stores in November. My heart skips a beat when I look at it... Textured Basics features six basic geometric prints, designed in six delicious colors (plus a "multi") and printed with a faux canvas texture, for the “look” of canvas but the “feel” of quilting cotton. There is even a Natural Basic Texture, which is perfect for quilt backgrounds and sashings, all printed on premium quality quilting weight cotton.

Here is a full color card of all 43 SKUs... if you'd like to print it, just click on this image, which will take you to Flickr, and download the largest file size, so you can get a good quality print-out.

Of course, as it is always the case when we release a new fabric collection – which usually coincides with Quilt Market booth prep – we have been busy little bees creating items made with Textured Basics. Below are some of our projects and ... pssst... here's a little secret for you: you will be seeing some sneak peeks of new patterns for the Fall. These will be fully-revealed tomorrow (hopefully) as soon as we get them up on our site. It is a new format for us, so we're super excited!

First of all -- and possibly the project we are most enamored with -- is this Houndstooth Quilt. It came out so bold, modern and fun! And yes, there will be a pattern... more like a sewing card... well, you'll see tomorrow!

I designed this easy-to-piece quilt, Emalee pieced it in one afternoon and my friend Lisa Feeney of Sew Memorable Quilts quilted and bound it for us. Isn't it awesome?

And because we loved this design so much, we even came up with a lap quilt version of it in pinks and creams, which we thought would be perfect for a baby's nursery:

Here's my girl, Sophie, modeling this woven version of the Hailey dress (View D) made up in Diamonds Tangerine with a ruffle made of Vintage Houndstooth Multi. Doesn't she look adorable?

A trio of MODKID cuties... from left to right, Piper in Houndstooth and Shoreline, Baby Hannah in Cool Dots and Swell Stripe, and Kyoko in Hexies and Shoreline.

And because we love that fabric combo for Piper so much, we created another colorway of it, which can be seen in the United Notions booth next weekend at International Quilt Market!

This fabulous wrap skirt for women will be another pattern being revealed tomorrow, so this is all I will show or say about that for now.

Same goes for these mod cases. I just adore how the bold prints work so well for these!

Emalee sewed up some bold pillows for my mini booth. You can never have enough pillows and I'm thinking some of these would make awesome free tutorials for the blog! ;)

Last, but certainly not least, this is all I can show you at this time of this super fun quilt. If you are attending Quilt Market next week and want to see the full thing in person, head on over to the GenerationQ booth (#960). For the rest of you, you'll get to see the full thing soon, soon... in a future issue of the magazine. ;)

OK, that's it for the fabric reveal. Stay tuned for the new patterns reveal coming tomorrow. If you have an iPhone or iPad and would like to sport some Textured Basics, check out the cases I've designed on Zazzle. I got mine in the mail yesterday. It's this one.

So, what do you think of Texture Basics?

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!