During my day, I love to head over to Mood Fabrics’ online store and check out the what’s new section, which is updated quite frequently. It is such a nice break in my day and I can contemplate all the fabrics and what they might become. After I browse for a day or two, it is time to shop! I tend to shop two different ways when looking at all the fabric goodness at Mood Fabrics. My first way is with a specific garment in mind, which in this case led to these two fabrics in my cart, the first this Mood Fabrics’ Pucci-esque Bold Border Print Poly Jersey
and this Mood Fabrics’ Black and Ivory Striped Jersey
My plan was to use the stripe for the sleeves and the print for the body of the shirt, something I had seen online. I didn’t want a close -fitting shirt, so I went with Scout Woven t-shirt, cutting it just a bit smaller for the knit.
Shopping perfection for this top, the plan came together just as I had hoped and the fabrics matched perfectly. It was kismet! I did lay out the front and back pattern piece on the print knit to take advantage of the knit’s slight curved print.
Now my second way of shopping is just to browse the previously mentioned what’s new section and to also look at other Mood Sewing Network Bloggers’ posts and Mood Designer Fabrics’ Blog – Mood Sewciety. I find this such a great way to see new to me fabric and fabric types, see how the fabric drapes and looks in a garment, and above all just to broaden my horizons and use fabric I might not sew. This Mood Fabrics’ Italian Ivory Lightweight Suiting is one I was introduced to from Mood Sewciety blog
and it has been used in the black and red colorway. Also, everything I have purchased with the word Italian in the description has been INCREDIBLE! I ordered this with no pattern in mind. After I felt the fabric and saw how it perfectly matched my jersey from above, I selected Vogue 8909, an elastic waist and elastic cuff track type pant.
The fabric worked perfectly for this pant and I am so pleased how the pants turned out. I might be a year behind making these pants and while I was constructing them I was thinking,” are these going to look good on me?” Well, I think they do and I just love them so. Comfortable and stylish and that fabric was a dream to sew and the feel, love it.
While I really like these two garments together, I thought a better or different look might be a more fitted shirt with the looser pants, which was highly encouraged by a fashionista who is home on weekends at my house!
This lets you see the details of the pants… a faux front fly, two rows of elastic at the waist, a drawstring, three rows at the cuffs. I used a tricot knit for the pocket linings, for two reasons, it did not show through and I liked the weight of the knit with the weight of this Italian suiting. I did add 1″ to the length of these pants and in the pictures, I might have them pulled up a bit too much.
The pattern even has a back yoke piece, and in this picture you can see a hint of the tricot lining (which normally doesn’t show but my hands are pushing the fabric forward). I did use a piece of ribbon from my stash as instructed by Vogue for the middle section of the waistband. I do like the ribbon but if that isn’t a look for you, then just forgo the buttonholes and insert elastic into that row too. One thing I do like to do on elastic waist garments, which I learned many years ago, in a sewing for kids class, is to edge stitch at the very top of the waistband. It really finishes off that edge and looks good on the waistband.
I think I like both styles of shirts with my new pant and I am sure there are many other options in my closet
How do you like to shop Mood Fabrics?
