Designer Spotlight Sunday: Patty Young

Special treat today:

Patty Young of MODKID 

shares her creative process behind her latest collection:

Hello, everyone! I am thrilled to be participating in today's Designer Spotlight and since more than half of our country is frozen right now, I am here to bring a little color and sunshine into your day! My 7th collection for Michael Miller Fabrics, titled Lush, has begun shipping to fabric stores worldwide, so I thought this would be a great time to tell you a little bit about my inspiration for the line and share some images with you.

Lush came about in my head after a day trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. The flowers were so colorful and aromatic and the gardens were so green and, well, lush. I just knew I had to do something with the 152 photos I took that day! I came home and started drawing my very first print, which later on became Zinnia Garden.

Next I drew the Stargazer print, based on several different photos I took in their Lily gardens. These were a lot of fun to draw...



And sometimes, you can use a photo as your basic inspiration then just go rogue from there and add your own touches. That's the beautiful thing about art... you can make it however you want and you will never be wrong!



From these three prints sprouted the whole collection. Then it was just a matter of coming up with different colorways and creative names.





Now that you know the story behind Lush, I want to share with you some amazing sewn pieces my testers have made to showcase Lush in our new Spring 2012 patterns, which will be in stock on our site in early February.


This is Gretchen, which, for the longest time we affectionately referred to as The German Barmaid Dress, haha. It was originally inspired by a classic dirndl design, but of course, I changed a few things here and there to give it that MODKID look. Gretchen comes in 4 views with different sleeve and hem options. Below are View A (left) and View C (right), but you can see the other two views on the pattern cover in my blog.


Left photo courtesy of Nathalie Bearden (nathaliebearden.com) and right photo courtesy of Kirsten of Oli*beli.


Next is the Chloé pattern, a pull-on smock-style dress or tunic which features a rounded-square neckline with a contrasting ruffled yoke, a pair of oversized rounded pockets and a contrast fabric hem band. There are no set-in sleeves to sew, so it goes together in a snap. A wide drawstring cinches the dress tight at the waist for a sweet, girly look.


Left photo courtesy of Sam Provenzano (www.puddlejumpersphotography.net). Sewn sample by Andrea Thomas-Lambe. Right photo and sewn sample courtesy of Liz Mouse (www.mommysaidsew.com).

Next is Paige, an adorable and fully-reversible Spring jacket that can also double as a rain slicker if sewn with laminated fabrics. Sew it with a hood for those rainy days or a drawstring collar for a fun and modern look. Have fun mixing and matching designer fabric prints!


Left photo courtesy of Sam Provenzano (www.puddlejumpersphotography.net). Sewn sample by Andrea Thomas-Lambe. Right photo and sewn sample courtesy of Liz Mouse (www.mommysaidsew.com).

Last, but certainly not least, is our foray into baby and boy patterns, with Natalie and Nate! We've given the classic baby romper a MODKID touch and updated it with some fun details for both boys and girls. Our fully-lined romper means there are no itchy and scratchy exposed seams, plus it looks super cute when the inside fabric peeks out. The romper hits mid-thigh and three snaps in the crotch area make for quick and easy diaper changing. You will want to make this easy project again and again since it comes in infant to toddler sizes to grow with your growing child.


Test samples and photos by Nathalie Bearden (nathaliebearden.com).


Left photo courtesy of Angela Marino Photography (amarinophoto.com). Sewn samples by Anna Garner. Right photo and sewn sample courtesy of Kirsten of Oli*beli.

As I mentioned, all patterns will be in stock in just a few days and lots of retailers have already placed their pre-orders, so go ahead and ask your favorite retailer if they've ordered the new MODKID patterns.


Lush is already in stock at numerous fabric shops worldwide.


Thank you all for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed this little creative tour. Leave us a comment and let us know which is your favorite Lush design or your favorite new MODKID pattern. 
 Then, hop on over to Patty's blog for your chance to win a HUGE fabric bundle and a new pattern bundle. Best of luck!!