Sewing MODKID Style: Modern Threads for the Cool Girl [Hardcover]

I have been anticipating the release of this book since October. I learned to sew with ModKid's Frida pattern. I am huge fan of not only Patty Young's style, but particularly her ability to take something complicated and make it simple and understandable... and turn out beautiful. Even my first sewing attempt with Frida was something I never thought I could do and real confidence builder! I knew if anyone could take knits, break them down in an easy, friendly, results driven way it would be Patty.

This book did NOT disappoint.

Just on the surface, it's an absolute joy. It is very well thought out with the attention to small details that has made ModKid one of my favorite pattern companies. The book is sturdy and is spiral bound so it lays flat, it includes the thick heavy pattern paper that ModKid fans are used to and love, as well the brightly colored whimsical touches that are ModKid's signature throughout entire book. But the real meat is inside. I spent an hour pouring over it... to be honest, I have tons of sewing books and the beginning of most of them with their technical jargon and over-inflated must have lists bores me to pieces. I like to dive right in to the patterns and get the creative juices flowing!! That is why we buy them, right? But I actually read through the entire first section without even realizing I was doing it and I learned stuff! It was easy to understand, interesting, and like having a conservation with Patty. It was down to earth and relevant. It was useful information that was completely pertinent to sewing with knits. No pretentious or boring page filler information. Admittedly I knew some of it already, but having it all in one place in an easily accessible format is really useful. And I have to say, understanding why one ballpoint needle is better than another for certain types of knits is something that I will actually USE in my sewing! I had all those different numbered ballpoint needles but absolutely no idea why, lol. I also greatly appreciate that she didn't dumb down the serger portion. So many books throw in the serger as an afterthought... oh, yeah you could use a serger here if you wanted to and that's it. And explaining how FOE can be used in something other than cloth diapers was a relief!! I had tons of that left over from our cloth diapering days and no idea what to do with it! I have been sewing for 2 years and never heard of the forceps idea either! Just a treasure trove of useful information for today's modern sewist!!

So the patterns... will I actually use them? YOU BET!!! I have 3 girls ages 3, 7 and 11!!! The leggings, swimsuit (modest, but cute!! THANK YOU!!)and yoga shorts are going to be staples in all 3 of the girls wardrobes. The bubble dress is a MUST for my younger two and my older daughter is bugging about the fingerless gloves and headbands already :) :) :) The gored skirt is sweet and the knit quilt is so tempting, I may need to break out of clothing to try it!

I will update after I sew some projects, ASAP, but in my experience with ModKid patterns, they will be be nothing less than quality, cute and easy to put together. So many sewing books are pretty to look at and sit on the shelf looking pretty, but I have a feeling this is going to look like my favorite cookbook after awhile, worn with lots of use!

Completely worth the wait. This has moved to the TOP of my 5 all time favorite sewing books!

I got the book two weeks ago, and already I have a bunch of items to make from it. I have many sewing books of top designers, and I love them all, but this one is different.
Unlike most of the books I have, it has patterns for ONLY stretch fabric, that you should know.
All the book, in my opinion, is for regular (as in not special occasion) clothes. Even the dresses are pretty, yes, but not special occasion.
For me this is great because I look for simple, comfortable, yet pretty outfits for my girls.
I only had time to make one item so far, the bubble dress. The directions are very clear, the pattern pieces match very nicely, and it looks really lovely on my girl.
I will also make the bubble skirt, another bubble dress, the swimsuits, and the leggings, all that as soon as I can.
In time I'm pretty sure I'll make all items in the book, which is something I rarely say.

I have been sewing with Patty Young quilting cotton for years and love her ModKid patterns that I have made in the past. I really appreciate that Patty has consistently produced knit fabric as well. This book, dedicated to sewing with knits, has given me the confidence to try something made with knits other than just pants and shorts.

This book provides so much value beyond just patterns. I have a serger and the instructions in this book are helping me make better use of its features beyond just finishing seams. The section of the book about different types of knit fabric and the tools and notions to go along with them is just one of the things that makes ModKid special - all the extra information provided above and beyond just the sewing projects. On top of that you do get 20 professional quality patterns. The instructions are easy to understand and the drawings that go with them are more abundant than other pattern books. The photos and drawings work so well together. The quality of the pattern paper is true top-of-the-line Patty Young style.

It also helps that I really love the ModKid style. I can see myself making all of these projects for my girls who are 3 and 5. I like that just by changing fabric, some of the projects can have really different styles to them. The projects will be ones I can use for the girls year after year, just changing fabric choices as their own styles change. This book would be excellent for anyone who wants to try sewing with knits and/or anyone who wants to learn more things to do with their serger.

I'm going to start with making a Bloom Dress or two and probably a dozen different types of leggings for my girls. I have some of the pre-made ruffle fabric that I can't wait to use in these projects.