Only 24 Hours Left for EYMM’s HUGE Sale ;)

Have you had a chance to check out the big EYMM sale?  3 days have gone by which means there are only 24 hours left to save!  Every pattern and pattern bundle in the shop is on sale with the 30% off coupon.  If you do the math that makes individual patterns $6.97 or less each and the bundles starting as low as $6.23 and going down to just $4.88 each ($29.26 total for the bundle of 6 after coupons).  That is over 50% off and the lowest price ever!

Did you already snatch up some good deals and patterns from your wishlist?  If so what did you get and which one do you plan on making first?

May 9th – May 12th until 11:59PM PST only save 30% off your entire order at www.eymm.com with the coupon code MAMATURNS30 .  This includes not only individual patterns but an additional 30% off the already discounted bundles too!  That makes many of the bundles almost 50% off retail.  It’s not often that I have big store wide sales like this so now is the time to order those patterns you have been wanting because it will be months before there is another sale like this again ;).  No other coupons may be combined with this sale.

Also don’t forget the awesome customer rewards we offer too!  For every $1 you spend you get 1 point and 1 point = .01 to use towards a future order.  There are also 25 points for leaving reviews AS WELL as a 10% email coupon good on your next pattern purchase.

Below are pictures of just a few of the patterns included in the sale.  Also if you haven’t already check out the EYMM Pattern Fan Group on Facebook.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP NOW & SAVE!

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ARGH! Boy’s Pirate Long Beach Board Shorts

 

Sew Fab Bundle 19 PDF Sewing Patterns for only $29.95 #DIY #EYMM #SewFab 

One of the really neat parts of participating in the Sew Fab Pattern Sale is that we get a chance to try out the other patterns in the bundle! The ones I was the most excited to sew up is Terra’s Treasures Long Beach Board Shorts for my littlest boy.

I have to say, even with proper detail finishes these were a considerably fast sew and the end product is AMAZING! I can’t wait to make some for the other 4 kids. My 8.5 yr old son asked when I was making him pair and the pattern includes a shorter girls length too.

I wasn’t sold on the fabric combo until I got the bum panel done… that’s when I fell in love!

Then he tried them on and I was done for, lol.  This is one of my favorite boy items I have ever made!

Photography Tips & Classes

I have to say one of the most common things I read about whether from pattern testers, pattern designers or small shops is how can I take better pictures?  We can deny it all we want, but the truth good photographs sell more products!   Whether you are looking to improve your skills for scrapbooking and memories or you want to improve the photography skills for your store this information is helpful.  So today after seeing the Craftsy class I recommend the most on sale I decided I needed to finally sit down and write this post ;).

I will start off by saying I have some ‘momtographer’ experience having run a small business and having 5 kids.  Last year I decided I really wanted to improve my photography skills.  I knew the basics like the rule of thirds, natural light vs. incandescent light and what most of the settings on my camera are called but I didn’t know how to truly use them with different lighting.  Lighting is a HUGE factor in successful photography and learning how to adjust the settings on your camera for lighting can make some of the biggest difference besides a good lens.

Here are a few shots that I give the lighting credit to the skills I learned in this class and these are just the beginning!

*This post contains affiliate links that help support this blog.  I ONLY use affiliate links to products I personally use and recommend.*

First off a few basics… to truly take good product pictures & photographs you really do need a DSLR.  Yes my cellphone is great for candid shots, as are many point and shoots, but you simply can’t adjust the shutter, aperture and other settings the way you can with DSLR.  I shoot with a Nikon D80 which is almost 9 years old but works great.  I love my 50mm 1.8f lens (which I could afford a 1.4f!) and I also have a few standard lens and I would LOVE to get a 24mm-70mm lens but it’s not in the budget any time soon!  One of the most important accessories you can get for your camera is a speedlight.  This is what helps you manipulate a lot of the lighting to get great pictures.  This one small investment in equipment plus the class made a HUGE difference in the picture quality, no matter which lens I use.

I highly recommend this speedlight from Amazon.  It is generic and works on nearly all DSLR’s including Nikon and Canon.  You can change the flash direction as well as you it on a shoe horn stand if needed.  The best part is that it is super affordable!  It ranges from $37.95-$39.95 and has free prime shipping.  This is needed for the class that I recommend and no one who has bought it so far has regretted getting it, they have wished they hadn’t waited so long!

“Shot this a little while ago in the worst light you can imagine with my brand spankin’ new speedlight thanks to Kymy!” ~ Linda

Linda’s picture was awesome, I will ask her if I can share ;).

 

Now comes the class ;).  I must save I have purchased quite a few Craftsy classes and I have been VERY happy with them.  You get permanent access to them so there is no time limit and you can watch the videos over and over again as well as ask the instructors questions.  This class is over 40% off for 2 days only, now through 5/11/2014.

I actually have both the written book and the Craftsy class of the Portraits with On-Camera Flash.  Yes it’s a portrait class BUT it has a ton of great lighting & camera setting information. If there is one online class you could take for this, this is the one I recommend.  I also highly recommend Neil van Neikirk’s other classes as well, especially the off camera flash one.

If you do want to take indoor photos and are looking for a basic, affordable lighting set up I recommend this one from Cowboystudio on Amazon.  It is not a flash set but a continuous light and you can get soft box umbrellas for it as well.  It is a great, affordable, starter lighting set to get your feet wet.  6 years later I still use mine 🙂

This is a quick photo I took after first taking the class to learn how to best utilize my stand lights.  This is in a VERY dark room and while it is not professional I think it turned out pretty darn well.

 

The other big thing is getting creative making clean backgrounds.  You don’t need fancy back drops! One of my favorite back drops for kids and products is a piece of white bead board from Home Depot, a piece of base board trim and about 3 pieces of snap together laminate flooring.  A few claps (also from Home Depot) and some fabric & you have TONS of possibilities!  This set up is only 4′ long but works GREAT for smaller thing & kids.

Mother’s Day AND Kymy’s 30th Birthday Sale ;)

Last year my birthday was on Mother’s Day, this year it is the day after and I am turning the ‘big 3 0’ lol.  So I decided what better way to celebrate these last 4 days in my 20’s, and celebrating being a mom, then with a sale for the fans!

May 9th – May 12th until 11:59PM PST only save 30% off your entire order at www.eymm.com with the coupon code MAMATURNS30 .  This includes not only individual patterns but an additional 30% off the already discounted bundles too!  That makes many of the bundles almost 50% off retail.  It’s not often that I have big store wide sales like this so now is the time to order those patterns you have been wanting because it will be months before there is another sale like this again ;).  No other coupons may be combined with this sale.

Also don’t forget the awesome customer rewards we offer too!  For every $1 you spend you get 1 point and 1 point = .01 to use towards a future order.  There are also 25 points for leaving reviews AS WELL as a 10% email coupon good on your next pattern purchase.

Below are pictures of just a few of the patterns included in the sale.  Also if you haven’t already check out the EYMM Pattern Fan Group on Facebook.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP NOW & SAVE!

Mommy & Me Blog Tour Round-Up

I can’t believe today was really the last day!  I just love what all the ladies did with women’s and children’s patterns.  Here is a round up of all the great blog posts we saw!  Click on the links to go to the tour blogs and see more ;).

4/28 – Lisa www.piepiedesigns.com

    4/30 – Deborah www.sproutingjj.blogspot.ca

5/1 – Alyssa  www.calmandcarrion.blogspot.com

5/2 – Tasha www.FriendsStitchedTogether.wordpress.com

5/3 – Emily Www.justanothersewingmama.com

5/4 – Nienke www.pienkel.blogspot.com

5/6 – Melissa www.rebelandmalice.blogspot.com

5/7 – Erin www.craftybiggers.com

5/8 – Jessica www.bunchoberries.blogspot.com

 

The Sew Fab Pattern Sale – 19 patterns for only $29.95!

Many of you were excited about the Girls California Dress & Peplum being included in the recent BundleUp! sale.  Well guess what??? One of my other new patterns, the Women’s Piko Top, is included in an even bigger bundle at an even bigger discount!  I was so excited to be invited to this sale for the first time, there are some amazing patterns and you can’t beat 80% off???  Check out below for more details, pictures & link to purchase.  It’s only here for one week so don’t put it off.

This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase the Sew Fab Bundle through those links I earn a percentage of the sale. Thank you so much for supporting the Sew Fab Sale! We all appreciate your business!

 

It’s the Spring 2014 Sew Fab Pattern Sale!

 

It’s that time of year again… time for the original pattern bundle sale, The Sew Fab Pattern Sale! I’m so excited to announce this season’s pattern bundle to you today. The excitement has been building over the last few weeks, and today it’s finally available. Nineteen incredibly talented pattern designers, some who are very well known in their field and some who are quickly making a name for themselves, have come together to bring you a great bundle of patterns that will take you through the spring and summer.

For one week only, you can have nineteen patterns (plus a fun bonus pattern), chosen specifically for this sale, for only $29.95! That’s over 80% off the retail value of the bundle! Plus you can enter to win one of two amazing sewing themed giveaways!

For less than $30 you get a library of sewing resources that you can use over and over again.

If you’ve never sewn with a PDF pattern before, let me tell you how great it is! After downloading your pattern, you will print out the pattern itself, creating pattern tiles, if you will. Simply tape the tiles together to create the full pattern! At that point you can cut out the size that you need and pin the paper pattern directly to your fabric, or you can trace the pattern size that you need onto sewing paper or tracing paper and cut it out, saving the paper pattern for later when you need to sew another size. PDF patterns are so convenient because you can print them out as many times as you need!

Now for the part you’ve been waiting for… the patterns!

A collection of 19 PDF Patterns from 19 well-known and up and coming designers are instantly accessible to you by PDF download upon purchase of the Sew Fab Pattern Bundle. Imagine all of the combinations that you can put together with this bundle of patterns, with many transitioning to fall and winter as well! Here are the patterns that you will receive (click on the links below the collage for more information about each pattern.):

The Laurel Dress or Tunic by Greenstyle Creations, The Satchel Bag by Handmade Therapy, The Lexi Knit Dress and Top by MODKID, The Piko Top by EYMM, The Bowling Shirt from Scientific Seamstress (unisex), The Seraphic Pant by Figgy’s (unisex), The Tulip Pinafore by Too Sweets Patterns, The Big Tote Bag by Things for Boys, The Doll and Carrier by Patchwork Posse, Poppy and Pip Penguins by Betz White, Leather Accent Foldover Pouch by LBG Studio, The Norah Dress and Tunic by Mouse House Creations, Crayon Art Folio by Gingercake, The Tennis Skort (12M-12Y) by Heidi & Finn, The Ruffled Bustle Top by Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Long Beach Board Shorts (unisex) by Terra’s Treasures, The Cupcake Top (unisex) by Sewing Mama RaeAnna, The Saffron Twirl Dress from Paisley Roots Designs, The Sweet Tea Shorties by Molly Blossom Designs.

New this year is the Sew Fab Pattern Tour! Some of our favorite sewing bloggers will be sharing their versions of the Sew Fab patterns on their blogs this week, so be sure to check in with them throughout the week of the sale to see how versatile these patterns are! Here are the stops on the pattern tour…

This Sew Fab Pattern Bundle is only available for one week and will never be available again! You can purchase the bundle from May 5th at 8 a.m. EST through May 13th at 11:59 p.m. EST and there will be no late sales offered. Due to the nature of the sale there are no refunds. The pattern bundle expires six months from the end of the sale, so please download and save your patterns upon receiving them.

You don’t want to miss this unique opportunity to purchase a ready made collection of 20 PDF sewing patterns from 19 of the best designers out there!

 

And now for the always exciting Sew Fab Giveaway!

This spring there are two prize packages up for grabs, and both will inspire you in your sewing! I’m so excited about these giveaways! Can’t buy the pattern bundle? It’s okay… purchase is not required to enter. There are lots of chances to win and each entry applies to both of the giveaway packages. Just use the Rafflecopter widget below the prize descriptions to enter as many times as you want, no purchase necessary.

Prize Package #1 includes…

The Lane Raglan Pattern from Hey June, an organic fat quarter bundle of the yet unreleased Everyday Party Collection by Emily Isabella, from Fabricworm, The Washi Dress Pattern from Made by Rae, a $50 gift certificate to The Delhi Store, a free class from Craftsy.com, a fun gift package from Sew You Studio, a custom made Geranium Dress from Nest Creations, a Sew Happy print from Pen+Paint, and a $15 gift certificate to GYCT Designs!

Prize package #2 includes…

(html for prize #2 photo collage to come)

The #ISEW necklace from Hello Cheeseburger, created especially for the Sew Fab giveaway, a collection of vintage buttons and 20% off your purchase at Anna Mia Clothing, the Playdate Bag pattern from Fishsticks Designs, The Kensington Dress and Tee Pattern from Hey June Handmade, a $30 gift certificate to Casa Crafty, a $40 gift certificate to Girl Charlee, 3 yards of laminate fabric from Anne Kelle, The Essential Sewing Reference Tool by Carla Crim, a “Happiness is Handmade” print from Pen+Paint!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sign up for the Sew Fab Newsletter to get the latest Sew Fab News!  Winners will be announced in the newsletter as well as upcoming sales and other news pertaining to the Sew Fab Sale and the world of PDF patterns.

The Sew Fab Spring Pattern Sale!

Sew much inspiration, right at your fingertips…

only $29.95!

Get your bundle now!

**For answers concerning sale terms and customer service questions, please see the FAQ page.

EYMM Mommy & Me Blog Tour

With Mother’s Day coming up I had a fun idea for the next EYMM blog tour.  Many of my patterns are so popular because they offer sizes for moms AND their mini-mes.  So the theme for this tour is Mommy & Me!  All the bloggers on the tour made coordinating outfits for them and one or more of there little ones.  While I’m not huge on dressing a like I have to say these ladies have done AWESOME.  So check in through out the week to see what’s new & there will be a surprise at the end ;).

4/28 – Lisa www.piepiedesigns.com

4/30 – Deborah www.sproutingjj.blogspot.ca

5/1 – Alyssa  www.calmandcarrion.blogspot.com

5/2 – Tasha www.FriendsStitchedTogether.wordpress.com

5/3 – Emily Www.justanothersewingmama.com

5/4 – Nienke www.pienkel.blogspot.com

5/6 – Melissa www.rebelandmalice.blogspot.com

5/7 – Erin www.craftybiggers.com

5/8 – Jessica www.bunchoberries.blogspot.com

The Sew Fab Pattern Sale is Coming Soon!

Coming soon, for one week only, nineteen pattern designers will be joining together to combine their best PDF sewing patterns and selling them to you for the incredible price of $29.95! That’s over 80% off of the combined retail value!

The Sew Fab Pattern Sale is the original pattern bundle sale! Grab the bundle when it goes on sale next week and you’ll be all set for the spring and summer seasons! You have to wait until next week to see which patterns are included in this spring’s bundle, but take a look below to see which designers you’ll find! I think you will be as excited as I am to see some previous favorites as well as several amazing designers that are new to the Sew Fab Sale.

Greenstyle Creations, Handmade Therapy, MODKID, Everything Your Mama Made, The Scientific Seamstress, Figgy’s Patterns, Two Sweets Patterns, Things for Boys, Patchwork Posse, Betz White, LBG Studio, Mouse House Creations, Gingercake, Heidi & Finn, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Terra’s Treasures, Paisley Roots, Molly Blossom Designs, Sewing Mama RaeAnna. Sale sponsored by The Southern Institute.

See you right here, bright and early on Monday morning!

Guest Post- Color Blocking Tutorial

I love seeing what customers and testers do with my patterns.  When I saw Emily of Just Another Sewing Mama‘s take on my new California Dress & Peplum I invited her to come over & guest post a tutorial for it!  This is quick, easy and has a great visual effect even with solid colored knits which are easier to get a hold of.  The California pattern is an exclusive in the Pattern Revolution BundleUP build your own bundle the first week, after that it will be available in the EYMM shop.

Just Another Sewing Mama
Color Blocking Tutorial

First I gotta say, don’t you just LOVE all these wonderful patterns Kymy has made for us??

She just released her newest pattern, the California Maxi Dress. I was lucky enough to be able to test this awesome pattern! It comes with so many great options and is the only dress pattern you will need for this summer. It comes with 4 length options (peplum, knee, maxi, and hi-low maxi) and even better, the neckline is reversible!

I decided on the knee length (and had already cut it out) when I started seeing all the other testers with their adorable maxi length dresses. I used a contrasting color for my binding and neck strap and thought hmmm I wonder if I could just make it color block! So here’s a fun tutorial on how I made my knee length into a color block maxi!

To get us started, print your pattern and cut out your desired size at the knee length (but DON’T throw away the rest of the pattern! We will still use it!)

Then you will cut out knee to maxi section of your size adding in .75in to the bottom length. Lucky for me I just cut on the next size up maxi length as it was right around the right amount! The photo below shows what mine looked like. You can push the pattern back together and it would make the maxi length plus the extra.

Cut out the dress as normal. When you get to the color block section cut on the fold (same as the dress) x2.

Construct your dress as Kymy describes in the pattern but stop when you get to the hemming part. Go ahead I’ll wait 🙂

At this point you should now have a complete dress with a raw bottom edge. We are going to take our two color block pieces and put them right sides together. sew up the two short sides using a 3/8 seam allowance / stretch stitch.

Take the longer bottom of the color block and hem that up using the pattern directions. You should now have two side seams sewn and one bottom hemmed. (This photo show my hem flipped up)

Lay your dress flat. We will now line the color block raw edge up with the dress raw edge, right sides together, seams lined up. Sew all the way around with a 3/8 seam.

Flip the color block down and top stitch your seam.

And there you have it! A color block maxi dress that will be all the rave at the next play date!

 

 

I can’t wait to make one for myself! I think I might make a blue with purple accents 🙂

-Just Another Sewing Mama

Bundle UP sale is LIVE! April 26- May 2nd only!

   

 

I am so excited to be part of the very first Bundle Up! Build a Better Bundle promotion from Pattern Revolution.  I have to say I was seriously flattered to be included with some amazing veteran designers that I have admired for years.

So what is Bundle Up!?  It is a collection of seasonal patterns and you can choose your bundle size AND which patterns are included.  It’s a fully customized bundle so you don’t have to buy patterns you already have to get a good deal on new ones you want.  Not only that but over half of the patterns are BRAND NEW!

Many of the patterns included will be 60% off at just $4 each when you buy a bundle of 10.  These particular bundle is all girls summer themed patterns including my NEW Girls California Dress & Peplum that is releasing soon ;).

Check out the pattern pictures below and hop on over to Pattern Revolution for more details and to build YOUR bundle.

FUN FACT FRIDAY: when you buy the WHOLE bundle, you’ll be saving $1056!!

Juuuuuuuuust kidding! Since YOU determine how much each pattern costs based on the number of patterns you buy, we’ve plugged in a value of $100 per pattern to stand in as the “retail” price. Once you have 6 or more patterns in your cart, the bundle rate will be applied automatically taking it down to $4.50 or less per pattern.

What makes Bundle UP different from other bundle sales?

• We only feature established designers whose patterns and reputation you already know and trust.
• We create themed bundles. Our first bundle is Girls, coming next Women’s. This way you get more of what you need and none of what you don’t.
• We offer primarily new release patterns and throw in a couple oldies but goodies to round out the bundle.
• We allow you to Build a Better Bundle. You get to pick and choose which patterns and how many to include in your bundle (minimum of 6 patterns for bundle pricing).
• The more you buy, the more you save!

How does it work?

These patterns are already a great bargain, marked down about 50% from their retail prices, but we have an even better deal in store for you. The more you buy, the better deal you score! You must buy at least 6 patterns to get bundle pricing, but the more you add to your cart, the cheaper they get. Here are the details:

• $4.50 each for 6-7 ($27- $31.50 total)
• $4.25 each for 8-9  ($34- $38.25 total)
• $4.00 each for 10-11 ($40- $44 total)

It’s Time to Bundle UP! Happy Shopping!

Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop – Waikiki One Piece

Tie Dye Diva – La Tulipe Dress

Fairytale Pattern Designs 

Izzy & Ivy – Beverly Belle

Brownie-Goose – The Bay Dress & Top

Scientific Seamstress – Easy Fit Pants

Jocole – Skort

Ellie Inspired – Poppy Fields Romper

Everything Your Mama Made & More! – California Dress & Peplum

ModKid Patterns – Hailey Girls Dress Tunic or Top

Little Lizard King – Sweetheart Dress

Not only that every bundle purchase includes a free downloadable surprise!!!  I promise your little lady will LOVE it.