Introducing... Mezzanine!

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The creative impetus for Mezzanine traces back to some memorable experiences from the early days of my burgeoning graphic design career. Back in the late 90's, prior to husband and kids (was there a time before kids?), I was a graphic designer for a large multinational company. They asked me if I'd be interested in relocating to their new branch in the Netherlands to help set up the creative department. I've always had a bit of a travel bug, so of course i said yes immediately.

I arrived in Amsterdam in the winter of 1998 and took a commuter plane to a small city in the South of the country named Eindhoven. I spent 3 months training Dutch designers, buying equipment & software and exploring my surroundings by bike. At the end of my stay, Jon (who was still my boyfriend at the time) flew out and met me for a 2 week vacation or what the local natives call a "Holiday". We rented a tiny car and wound our way through the lovely sites of Belgium & France. Of course being a photo freak who had sat through her fair share of art history classes in college, I took hundreds of pictures of architectural elements... think cathedrals, theaters, museums, castles... you name it! I just love that Old World European look!

Mezzanine was inspired by all the fabulous stonework, ironwork, terraces, gardens, tapestries, etc. we saw and photographed during our travels through this beautiful part of Europe.

Enjoy...

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Below are a few creative projects I've completed to give you an idea of scale. You may notice I have a thing for circles. They seem to pop up everywhere from my fabric designs to the sewn projects I make with my fabric designs...

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Here is my Frida sewing pattern (View A with Capped sleeves option) paired up with the Sophie 3-Way Pants (View C) and Mezzanine... what a combo!

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Loving these chunky, yummy baby feet!

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Hope you've enjoyed the tour. If you are headed to Pittsburgh for the Spring International Quilt Market in a couple of weeks, please stop by and see me at booth #2531.

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Open for Business!

We finally got all caught up on our wholesale orders and got around to setting up the retail end of our website. So, if you'd like to purchase the MODKID sewing patterns directly through us, click here to go to our shop. Also, if you have a preferred retailer you love to shop with, scroll down to the bottom of that page for the most up-to-date list of retail shops that stock our patterns. :)

For some awesome inspiration, don't forget to check out the MODKID Sewing Patterns Flickr Group. I've been browsing on there today and look what I found!

Fridas, Fridas, FRIDAS!
FRIDAS
Clockwise from top left: I have to say... , Wondermommy, MonkeyMooDesigns, *flourishes*

Kyokos, Kyokos, KYOKOS!
KYOKOS
Clockwise from top left: AbbyChase, ThomasParkGifts, *flourishes*, Babe-A-Gogo

I just love seeing everyone's interpretation of the patterns... all the different fabric combos, etc. If you have one you'd like to share with us, I invite you to join our Flickr Group.

And speaking of fabric... I'm preparing a full reveal of Mezzanine (my latest fabric collection for Michael Miller Fabrics) for later this week, so stay tuned... it'll be good! :)

Oh, and if you're into FREE stuff, you may want to stop by The Fabric Shopper. They will be giving away 1 MODKID pattern each week for 4 weeks plus some awesome fabric goodies from 4 different fabric stores!!! GO, GO, GO!
Now I have no excuse

Before today, if my photos were of substandard quality (too dark or too soft or too funky-colored) I could blame it on my gear. Now I have no excuse! If my photos suck from now on I have no one to blame but myself. My new dream gear arrived in the mail this week! Well, most of it anyway. I'm still waiting impatiently for my 35mm lens which is actually the one I really, really wanted to play with (it always happens that way, doesn't it?!?)

Check it out:

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Here's what it looks like out of the box (this picture taken with my Pentax *istDL)

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And since my usual subjects are both at school right now, I was happy to use Lucy as my first guinea pig.

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Lucy arrived last week -- a little surprise gift from the lovely and talented Elinor Peace Bailey -- and has made herself right at home in my studio. The girls adore her and I think she makes such a perfect model. She is sporting a dress and shoes made with my Andalucia fabrics and has the funkiest of headpieces.

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I think this is my favorite photo (love these yoyo sandals and all the details! Mmmmm!)

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He facial expression is just priceless.

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Elinor, thank you so much again for this precious doll! We just love her. And she will definitely be accompanying me to Pittsburgh in a couple of weeks. So all of you attending Quilt Market, please stop by and say hi to Lucy!

Disclaimer: I just barely opened the box and took these pictures. I haven't learned how to adjust my manual settings or optimize my lens usage yet. I tried reading the user manual in bed last night but passed out by page 2 (why do they make those so dull?) Well, I'm more of a hands-on/visual kind of gal so I'll be messing with it some more and hope to be able to get even better pictures real soon! (not complaining here... I like what I have so far!) ;)
MODKID Sewing Patterns In Stores NOW!

Boy, I truly feel like I've just given birth to quadruplets, after a long gestation period complete with sleepless nights, headaches and anticipation followed by intensive labor. But what cute babies I have, wouldn't you agree?!

I named them Frida, Kyoko, Emma and Lil' Chef.

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I'm so pleased to announce that the last of the wholesale pre-orders were shipped this past weekend, so most stores should have the patterns IN STOCK and ready to ship (or will very soon!)

Below is a list I've been compiling of all the stores that have placed pre-orders with us. RETAILERS: if you placed an order with a distributor and would like to be added to this list please email me with your store link at info@modkidboutique.com. Or if you are a retailer that prefers to order through Distributors only, please contact me for a list of domestic and international distributors.

USA

Above All Fabric
Allegro Fabrics
A Yarn Outlet
Banberry Place
Cotton Threads
Creative Smocking
Down Shadow Lane
Fabric Closet
Fabric Hound
Fabric Supplies
Fabric Worm
Fabritopia
Fancy Tiger
Fat Quarter Shop
Fashioned By Meg
Fresh Squeezed Fabrics
Hip Fabric
Honey Bee Humble
J Caroline Creative
Material Girl Shoppe
Material Girls Quilt Boutique
New Line Fabric
Pickled Pear Lane
Quilted ThreadQuilters Quarters
Quilt Home
Ruth's Sewing Room
Sew Baby
Sew It Up
Sew Love Fabrics
Sew Mama Sew
Sew Many Diapers
SewUSew
So Fun Fabrics
Sweet Dreams Designs
Sweet Pea Stitches
The Gathering Stitch
The Joy of Sewing
The Top Stitch
Vogue Fabrics
Whipstitch Fabrics
Wondermommy

AUSTRALIA

Bella & Vintage Chic
CraftyMamas
Kelani Fabric Obsession
Quilt Fabric Delights

CANADA

Flair For Fabric
Cozy Canuck
Pink Panda Fabrics

GERMANY

Volksfaden

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Our website will open up for consumers in just a few short days. We wanted to give all retailers and distributors a chance to get the patterns in stock and put them up on their own sites first before launching our own retail site. I will announce it here as soon as we're open for business!


Sophie 3-Way Pants
I'm still getting daily inquiries about my Sophie 3-Way Pants pattern and I realize now that I should have launched them together with Kyoko, but since the other 4 patterns were ready and Sophie was still in the development stages, I decided to make it part of my next series of patterns. Of course, now that I see the demand for it, I will push the production forward and hope to be able to offer it very soon. Here's a little sneak peek of it:

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For the Sophie 3-way Pants I took my basic pants pattern which has a very nice fit and flattering figure and spiced it up with 3 different pocket options and 3 different hem details. View B is the one Sydney is modeling in the cover of Kyoko. To make it even nicer, this pattern features a flat-fronted waistband with elasticized back, because I was informed by my 7-year old, Sophie (who was also the inspiration and motivation for this pattern,) that full elastic waistbands are too "baby-ish." So, here you go... for all the "big girls" out there, a nice flat-fronted pant with tons of fun details! Wait till you see the samples I'm sewing for the cover of the pattern... contrast stitching, appliques, decorative buttons... boutiquey details galore! I'll explain how to do all of it in the pattern instructions. :)

HAPPY SHOPPING!

P.S. Don't forget to share all your MODKID creations in my brand new Flickr group! I'd love to see what you make!)

P.P.S. Wondermommy is holding a contest for a FREE Lil' Chef pattern, among other sweet goodies, on her blog in celebration of her birthday. Go enter! Good luck, everyone!
More ears!

Hope everyone is having a happity, hoppity Easter Day!

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Gorgeous Andalucia baskets made by LeeAnne of *ladesigns*:

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LOVE these!

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Ears!

To cure the cabin fever we've all been experiencing lately (well, maybe mostly me) the girls and I went for a little retail therapy at our local mall. The plan was to have lunch at the food court, then swing by B&BW for some yummy smelling stuff, then go redeem that VS gift certificate that had been burning a hole in my wallet since V-Day, then maybe go check out the sales at ON. Well, let's just say that we had an unexpected detour when Sophie spotted a little girl getting her ears pierced and decided right there on the spot that she wanted to go next. I was thrilled mostly because my Sophie is NOT the spontaneous type... she is a planner to the MAX. So for her to make an impromptu decision like that was incredibly surprising and needed to be supported and celebrated.

(of course, all I had with me to document this momentous event was my iPhone)

Here she is sitting pretty in the piercing chair...

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X marks the spot...

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A little pinch...

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YAY, it's done!

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Then, to my utter surprise, Sydney got brave enough to do it too!

So we sat pretty again...

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Marked the spot...

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Felt a little pinch...

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And VOILA!

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Proud mama...

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I walked in with my two babies and left with two big girls... who knew!

(Happy Easter, everyone!)
KYOKO at TALA

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When Kathy Miller told me a couple of weeks ago that they wanted to feature my Kyoko sewing pattern at their upcoming L.A. Textiles Show (a.k.a. TALA) on April 14 - 16, I was thrilled! Of course, we didn't have Mezzanine yardage yet to work with, so she said I could pick fabrics from one their new collections to make a sample. I was immediately drawn to this large floral, Flower Shower, and its coordinating stripe, Stripe Hype. And of course, I paired it up with a staple of mine, the Berry Ta Dot and some of their adorable printed bias tape. I just LOVE how this turned out!

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As soon as the box of fabric & trims got here I got to sewing (I wanted to get it all done before my sewing patterns were delivered!) Sydney insisted on trying it on, so how could I refuse? We got these adorable pictures done just minutes before it shipped off to MMF! Check out the action shot! What a ham...

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If you are in the LA area and plan to attend the Textiles Show, stop by the MMF booth and say hi to Kyoko (it won't have Sydney inside of it, but it'll still be cute!) Oh, and a little birdie told me that they will be showing Mezzanine at the show! WOOHOOO! You can be one of the first stores to get it in stock! :)

On another note, I've been a little quiet around here because of this:

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That's just the view from one side of my dining room. This is what our foyer looks like:

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Boxes & boxes & boxes of patterns arrived last Wednesday and we've been printing packing slips and boxing up orders ever since. It's become a family affair as we try to make it into a fun game at times so the kids don't feel slighted. We let them count the patterns, then we double check their counting. They get to help stack the lighter boxes by the front door but often end up distracted by bubble wrap.... who doesn't? I already had a little mishap involving my index finger and the metal teeth of my tape gun, OUCH!, and last night I accidentally printed two sets of shipping labels for each box, so we had to go back in and void the second set. Fun, fun, fun! I guess practice makes perfect, eh? But nevertheless, all pattern pre-orders will be shipped out this week so they'll be arriving at a store near you shortly!

Well, since I'm actually sitting down at the computer for a few minutes (which seems like a luxury these days!) I figured I'd do another Q & A session.

1. When will the patterns be available for purchase on your website?
All patterns are in stock and ready to ship. However, we need to fulfill all wholesale pre-orders and I would like my retailers to have enough time to get them in and start selling them on their own sites before I do. So, give me a few days and the site will open up for consumers to shop!


2. Do you have a list of retailers that stock your patterns?
I am compiling a list this week and will post it on our website a.s.a.p. In the meantime, check out this announcement on Boutique Café, where some retailers have been leaving their links. Also check out this wonderful review by MiscellaneousFinds4U which also features some store links! :)

We are happy to report that we have retailers in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Germany at the moment! If you are a retailer and would like to carry our line of MODKID patterns in your store, please go to our website at and click on the WHOLESALE link to fill out an application.


3. Can I purchase your fabric and ribbons as well as patterns on your site?
No. At the moment we are only selling our MODKID sewing patterns on our site. If you are a retailer interested in purchasing my 2 fabric collections, Andalucia and Mezzanine, please contact Michael Miller Fabrics at info@michaelmillerfabric.com and they will pair you up with a sales rep in your area. Wholesale ribbon purchases can be made through Caroline Devoy at www.jcarolinecreative.com


4. Are the Sophie 3-Way Pants available for pre-order right now?
The Sophie 3-Way Pants are currently in development and will be available for pre-order with our next set of patterns, probably around June/July 2009.


And the following one is an oldie but goodie (I get this question so much, I thought it merited re-posting the answer)


5. Do you allow sales of items made with your sewing patterns?

All of my sewing patterns come with a legal line that reads: "Modkid LLC allows the right to use this pattern to create items sewn by the purchaser and only the purchaser for personal use or sale. Please direct inquiries for any other commercial use to info@modkidboutique.com. Any printed or electronic reproduction of this pattern in part or whole is strictly prohibited." This pretty much means that YES, you can sell these items if you are an independent sewer and if all items are sewn by YOU and only YOU, but if you intend to mass-produce these items or have them manufactured by an outside source, you need to contact me to work out a licensing agreement.


Thank you all for sticking around with me even though I've been such an bad blogger this past couple of weeks. I promise to be way more chatty (chattier?) when I get all these patterns shipped out... first things first!
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