World Domination Tour
Spreading laughter and MODKID style one fabric store at a time

(I know, I know, just roll with it... this is probably the closest I'll ever get to feeling like a rockstar on tour.)

Our girls left this morning for a 2-week vacation in FL with the grandparents. So, you'd think now that the kids are gone it would all be fun & games around here... but noooo. It just wouldn't be me if I planned for rest and relaxation. Ever. Let's just see... on Thursday afternoon, our Realtor is coming over to take a look at the house and take some photos for the listing. This means that in less than 48 hrs. we have to get this house in tip-top shape... steam clean the carpets, polish the wood floors, touch up the paint. And I should probably put away the piles of laundry and toys that seem to have a life of their own. Ideally I would've liked to plant a few flowers out back and spruce up the landscaping but who's got that kind of time? Kids or not.

Two days after the Realtor comes, we are headed to Chicago to spend 4th of July with Jon's family. Then 2 days after that, we're driving all the way down to Atlanta, GA for some fun, fun stuff which I'll get to in a second and 2 days after that, we'll be driving down to Orlando, where I'll be exhibiting at the Bernina University for 4 days, culminating in a Fashion Show on the 12th! Then we pick up the kiddos and drive all the way back to Central Illinois. Doesn't that sound relaxing?!?

So, what about this trip to Atlanta? Lemme tell ya... I am super excited to be going there because on Wednesday, July 7th, I'll be stopping by WHIPSTITCH in the early afternoon for a quick visit and then heading over to INTOWN QUILTERS that evening for a lecture where there will be goodie bags, door prizes and laughs galore! Check out the write up they did about it on their blog. Here are the details:


An Evening with Patty Young
Wednesday, July 7th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
1058 Mistletoe Road
Decatur, Georgia 30033
404-634-6924

You can purchase a ticket here or try your luck at winning one on Mary's blog.

Then, here are the details for Bernina University in Orlando, FL.

Bernina University 2010
Merchant Mall -- MODKID Booth #15
July 9th - 12, 2010 (Friday - Monday)
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
One Grand Cypress Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32836


This is a wholesale only show so if you are a retailer and will be attending this year's exhibits, please stop by Booth #15 and say hi! Also, please don't forget to come to the Fashion Show on Monday, July 12th at 12:30 p.m. Sydney will be modeling 3 different MODKID designs so we want to show her as much support as possible. :)

When we get back from our Tour of the South, I have to begin preparing for my next super fun appearance... and if you live in the Midwest, you must not miss this:

SEW MANY THINGS
is pleased to present PATTY YOUNG

Trunk Show/Lecture – Friday, August 6th, 6 pm - 8 pm
Hands-on Class (Abigail pattern) – Saturday, August 7th, 9 am - 4 pm
For more details, or to purchase a ticket, contact:
Sew Many Things
1015 13th Ave N Suite E,
Clinton, IA
563-242-6135

www.iasews.com

So, I guess I'll start with the Southeast, then work my way through the Midwest and will conquer the rest of the World another time... ;)

And since I hate to do a blog post without photos (and I'm missing my sweet girlies already!) here ya go:

Sophie, Grandma and Sydney at the airport fountain. This photo was taken literally 5 seconds after I yanked Sophie's bottom tooth right out of her mouth. It was dangling by a string and beginning to bleed to I pretended to be wiping off the blood with a tissue and just pulled it before she could say anything. She didn't even notice until I showed it to her.

girls & grandma

Saying goodbye was hard. It was a tossup whether it was harder for us or them.

saying-goodbye

I could tell they had mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension.

airport

But nevertheless, off they went...

airport2

So let's get this party started...
Sew Mama Sew

Word on the street is that my knits are beginning to ship all over the US and some shops even have them in stock already! WOOHOO! So, this couldn't be more perfect timing. Check out this easy tutorial for these sweet and comfy yoga skirts I wrote for SEW MAMA SEW.

MODKID YOGA SKIRTS

You can make these in any size from toddler to adult. Sophie, Sydney and I practically live in these skirts! I've made them in just about every color combo and I've even made some with quilting cottons and knit waistbands (yes, you can do that too! See my "Variation" at the end of the tutorial.)

So... go, go, go... sew up some skirts! And if you do, don't forget to add some photos to my Flickr groups.

MODKID Patterns Flickr Group
KNITS Flickr Group
Scraptastic Winners

I totally thought I was going to be able to hand pick the winners of the scrap bag contest. But as I got to reading everyone's comments... smiling, laughing and sometimes even getting choked up... I realized there was no way I could pick my 4 favorites. Seriously, if I had 335 of these scrap bags I'd send one to each of you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the wonderful comments!

So, I left it up to luck and let the randomizer pick the winners and here are the results:

The ANDALUCIA bag goes to:

Comment #151
Michelle W. said...

Mezzanine or Andalucia, but really, I would be happy with anything. And I would be making doll clothes for my girls’ dolls.

The MEZZANINE bag goes to:

Comment #299

Amy said...

You really want me to choose??? It’s a tossup between Andalucia and Mezzainine. I have two boys that I dearly love, but don’t want to wear “mommy made” clothes. I now have a daughter who just turned one this week. I started sewing all of her clothes before she was even born. She can now fit into the Modkid patterns (with a little tweeking)!!! I see a beautiful patchwork Sydney dress in the making.

The FLORA & FAUNA bag goes to:

Comment #31

Erin said...

Flora and Fauna is my favorite line EVER! I love love love it. As to what I would do with the scraps.... hmmmm. Since they are so girly, I would have to make something for me... maybe a fun scrappy sewing machine cover! That would be neat!

The PLAYDATE bag goes to:

Comment #30

Alli Cat Creations said...

I would have to say any of them mwould make me happy but the new playdate would make my daughter extremely happy.....She wants her bedroom redone in that.

Ladies, please email me at info@modkidboutique.com to claim your prize.


Everyone, please come back tomorrow as I will be posting about another exciting free tutorial!


xoxo,

patty
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!

towelquilt2

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.

towelquilt4

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

towelquilt3

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

towelquilt1

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 >>>

towelquilt-cover

Enjoy!

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

scraptastic1

I'm happy to report that I finally got my mojo back (thanks to all for your words of encouragement) and artwork for my next fabric collection is currently at Michael Miller and on its way to the mill shortly. PHEW! So now that we are in full studio clean-up mode in preparation for our impending cross-country move, I have some sweet treats for you.

scraptastic2

We have collected some rather large bags of scraps from all my fabric collections. I hear scraps are in huge demand so here's your chance to win one of these babies.

scraptastic3

They are all different:
  • The Mezzanine bag is by far the heftiest -- weighing in at over 2 lbs! -- and contains a wide variety of scrap sizes from all 17 designs in of the collection.
  • The Andalucia bag is not as heavy but it has the largest pieces of all the bags... some even larger than a fat quarter! And since this collection is now retired (yes, you read right!) it might be the most valuable in the long run.
  • The Flora & Fauna bag is the third largest but it also includes some knit pieces (if this entices you any).
  • The Playdate bag is the smallest of all, but also the newest collection. The pieces are rather large, just not as many pieces as the other ones.

scraptastic4

I'll make this easy on you: just leave me a comment and let me know which bag makes you the happiest and what you would do with the scraps if you won. I'm a sucker for a great story. ;)

Four lucky winners will be chosen a week from today (Sunday, June 20th). GOOD LUCK, ALL!!!

***UPDATE*** This contest is now closed. See this post for a list of the winners. Thank you all!!
Coming Up For Air

Today I did my make-up, styled my hair and drove a car for the first time in over a week. I went to the dentist... for my 6 month check-up.... oooooh, thrilling stuff, really. Twice a year (usually right after the 2 Quilt Markets) I shut myself away from the world for anywhere between 1 to 2 weeks to work on my next fabric collection. I pretty much become a non-functioning hermit. I don't talk on the phone, blog, tweet or FaceBook. I forget to eat, sleep and sometimes even go to the bathroom. It's not a pretty sight but it's the only way I can accomplish the task at hand. See, I'm not an "occasional designer." I've never had the capacity to just go about my daily tasks and collect random ideas here & there in the hopes they will someday become something. Not me. I thrive on intensity, stress and deadlines. Which makes it even the more strange that I'm blogging right now, because I'm definitely not done. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm not there yet. It was that darn reminder call from the dentist that jolted me out of my trance and now I'm trying my hardest to get my mojo back.

Last week (before I descended into my dungeon) I tweeted that I had collected some rather large bags of scraps from all my previous collections and wanted to know if anyone wanted them. These are medium-to-large pieces... some even as large as a fat quarter! And huge, 2 lb. bags full of them! I figured, if I only got 2 or 3 responses I would just give them to those lucky people. But after the dozens and dozens and dozens of replies kept coming in (even 2 and 3 days after my original tweet) I figured that the fairest thing to do would be to do a giveaway on my blog.

So stay tuned. As soon as those print outs are off my desk and on their way to MMF I'll be back!

off to look for my mojo...
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