Outtakes

There's never a dull moment when I do photoshoots with Sydney. Like any typical 4-year old, she's all over the place. Yesterday's shoot was no exception. I got some amazingly good shots (which I will reveal later with the pattern info) but the outtakes were so funny I couldn't resist sharing some of them...









Many photos did make the cut and the chosen cover shot is so awesome it actually makes me teary eyed. I'll share soon! Promise!

And speaking of sharing soon... the studio redux is about 98% complete. Jon built me a new tabletop for my cutting table and I've been busy putting the little finishing touches in every last corner and empty wall space. Stay tuned for the full reveal in a couple of days...

In the meantime you may want to check out this site and bookmark it for future reference. During the months of August and September they will be featuring a baker's dozen tutorials of awesome projects made with Andalucia.

I sewed a little...

...this weekend and it felt great! These gorgeous Lantern Bloom fabrics by Laura Gunn had been burning a hole in my new fabric shelves and I'm so glad I finally figured out what to make with them. It needed to be something that showcased the gorgeous painterly designs like a canvas. First I made myself the skirt on the far left Friday morning and took it for a test drive when I met some friends for a late lunch. It was super comfy and fun to wear!



Then Saturday morning I decided to make some for the girls. They picked their own fabric combos. How fun is that?! I hemmed mine with some coordinating bias tape I had sitting around the studio but for theirs, I decided on a contrasting rolled hem and I *LOVE* how they turned out.



The extra wide shirred waistband makes for a super comfy fit... never too tight, never too loose! These will be great for our Florida vacation in a couple of weeks! YAY! :)



Also, earlier in the week I made myself some patchwork curtains for my new studio. In case these fabrics look somewhat familiar to you, yes, these were made using the rejected strike-offs from Mezzanine. We always pitch lots of colors and even subtle variations within the colors. Some may have a cream ground versus a white ground. Some may just have a darker green tone than others. There's even full colorways that may be experimented with that never make it to the final round. This is pretty much the only way we can see how the finished product will look. And then the toughest part comes... the guillotine!

I always have a soft spot in my heart for the so-called 'rejects'. I truly love all of them, so here goes my tribute to the almost-Mezzanines...



I'm not sure if this curtain will stay in the studio or if it will make its way into another naked window in our house. I'll make my final decision next week before the full studio reveal. :)

A little bit of this. A little bit of that...

Boy, it's been a looong time since I last blogged. I apologize! But see... I've been a little busy. Guess who showed up last week? The Sophie & Sydney patterns that is! Yep, I won't repeat the picture here on the blog, but just know that our house once again looked like this and this (maybe a tad messier, LOL!)



We spent days taking patterns out of big boxes and putting them into smaller boxes... or in some cases, bigger boxes, depending on the size of the order. And the rest of my week looked a little like this...



and like this...



and like this...



Sooooo, if you're looking to purchase the Sydney & Sophie patterns, they will be up on my consumer site soon, but for now, please check out our lovely retailers at the bottom of this page (Retailers: if your store link is not on here yet, please shoot me an email and I'll add it a.s.a.p.). Lots have already received their shipments and have them up on their site for purchase.

[WARNING: This post is about to get really random.]

Remember when I broke up with FaceBook a while back? Well, we've decided to be just friends. I did make a promise to spend more time getting to know FB better so I took the plunge and started a FaceBook Fan Page for MODKID. Hey, that's making an effort, right? Please show your support and join us! :)



Let's see, what else is going on? Have you guys checked out Kristen's Etsy store lately? That crazy lady's been at it again! And this time she's created a whole new collection of sweet twirly skirts all made out of Mezzanine. Aren't these fun?




Oh, my day was brightened last Friday with this lovely flower arrangement. Isn't it sweet? Nope, it's not from Jon. ;) It was from this sweet lady.



Thank you, friend! It's still holding up well and beautifying my new studio. What? New studio, you say? Yep, Jon and I decided to do a little heavy lifting and rearranging this past weekend. The MODKID studio now takes over almost our entire basement and I am just LOVING all the new furniture & details (and the spacious quarters!). If you follow me on Twitter, I did upload a few crappy iPhone photos of the computer station, new cutting table, fabric shelves, etc. but for the rest of you, here is a sneak.



I will be sewing up some curtains today and hanging up some artwork. We also need to attach some spacers to the bottom of the tabletop on the new cutting table. I want a little area underneath the tabletop where I can store pattern pieces and other large, flat papers. Ooooh, so many ideas swimming in this crazy head of mine.

Give me a few days and I promise to give you a full reveal of the new studio space... it'll be like a virtual tour. I'll show you every nook & cranny and give you sources and background info on each piece.

Until then...

P.S. This just in... in keeping with the "random" theme and all: check out my interview at Fat Quarter Shop's THE JOLLY JABBER!

All work and no play...

...makes Patty a dull girl. So whenever I have a little lull in my workflow I plan spontaneous trips just to break up the monotony. It just so happened that this past weekend was one of those "I actually have nothing to do" kind of weekends and it also so happened that it was the 4th of July weekend and Jon had Friday off. So we booked an impromptu trip to St. Louis... one of my most favorite US cities! I know I've blabbed here & there about how much I love St. Louis. Not only does the city have incredible history & character but it also has some of the best attractions for kids... the City Museum, the St. Louis Zoo, the MO Botanical Gardens, to mention just a few! And every year, on the 4th of July they have Fair St. Louis... another fabulous attraction.

On Saturday morning we watched the Independence Day Parade just outside our hotel...



Yes, we all got beads and didn't even have to flash anyone! ;)



Then we met up with my sweet niece, Asja, and the girls had an absolute blast!!! After a round of hugs & kisses,





The girls did their best gangsta pose around the arch...







Some got into it a lot more than others...



And, well, I'm not quite sure what this pose was all about...



Then in the late afternoon, we headed out to the City Museum. What an incredibly fun place that is! I strongly recommend it if you are ever in the area. We went a couple of years ago and had such a blast that we decided it was time to go again...







I just couldn't resist this photo montage! How fun is this!?!



On Sunday we spent the day at the Botanical Gardens... seriously one of my favorite places in the whole world. This place is like a dream... so lush and wonderful!



And the Chihulys... oh, the Chihulys!!!



I got a chance to play with my new camera and get up close & personal with some of their exotic flowers & plants...









Sophie got up close & personal too...



Actually, the best pictures I got at the gardens were of the girls, but I can't show you too much right now because I'd be revealing my next sewing pattern collection (yes, I just can't stop working.... it's a sickness, I tell ya!) So here are just a few teenie-tiny sneak peeks:







My three most favorite people...

Eye Candy

I am always filled with a mixture of excitement and trepidation when I send sewing pattern files to print. Part of me is relieved that the weeks and weeks of hard work and sleepless nights has finally come to fruition and looking forward to seeing the printed pieces, and part of me can't help but worry that something could go terribly wrong. Luckily my print vendor understands my fear and has agreed to a rigorous proofing procedure. This might add extra days to the process but in my book it is something I cannot do without. I am extremely happy to report that my first 4 patterns are so far error-free and I intend to keep this streak going! :)

OK, so, since my next 2 patterns, the Sophie 3-Way Pants and the Sydney Euro Hoodie, finally went off to the printer this morning, how about some eye candy for you guys? These are the gorgeous photos I received from my pattern testers this week. I just couldn't keep them to myself!

First off, Meli of Jam Clothing Co. tested the Sydney Euro Hoodie, View B with short sleeves and pointed hood. Isn't her daughter Ava absolutely adorable? I am a sucker for great photography so these pictures just grabbed me!





Meli also sewed up a tunic version of Sydney (with long sleeves and pointed hood) using my ModBlooms corduroy and paired it up with the Sophie 3-Way Pants (View B). AHHHH... love these!





Next, Anna Garner, of Sweet Dreams Designs, tested both the Sydney and Sophie patterns. She used a professional modeling/photography service for her pictures, and it shows! Check out this adorable little girl, Tamar, in her Sydney Hoodie Dress (View B with a rounded hood).





Her little twin sister, Yael, looks like she's having a blast in her hoodie! Photos of Tamar and Yael appear courtesy of Teresa Maureen Photography in Austin, TX.



The Sweetest Thing Photography supplied these amazing photos of the Sophie 3-Way Pants, also sewn up by Anna of Sweet Dreams Designs. I just love these!!





And last, but certainly NOT least, are these super fun photos from Mandy Graham of AbbyChase Designs. You may recognize these sweet little girls from the inside pages of my Kyoko pattern. Yep, I asked Mandy if she'd want to do this again and was so glad she said yes because I just adore these girls' funky poses... so much attitude!



Mandy tested all 3 views of the Sophie 3-Way Pants in 3 different sizes!!!





Hope you all enjoyed the fashion show and a million thanks again to all my pattern testers for all your hard work and amazing photos!!! For those of you waiting on these patterns, they are scheduled to be delivered on July 15th, so we will box & ship the following week. Retailers can place their pre-orders on our website right now (log in to the WHOLESALE page with your password to see the new patterns).

Here's a sneak peek of the pattern covers: