You could win this yummy silk fabric from Mood! (This is Dmitri from our leather department, by the way.)

I’m in a great mood today here at Mood because I asked my boss if I could give away some fabric and he said yes! How fabulous is this multicolor silk print I found in the silk department in our NYC store?

Two yards of this 45"-wide silk print will go to one lucky random winner. A $28 value.

All you have to do to be eligible to win this fabric is leave a comment on this post. Deadline for comments is Friday, May 18, 11:59 pm ET. One winner will be randomly chosen from the comments left. Sorry, but this drawing is open to US and Canada residents only. If it is not easy for us to find a contact email address for the winner, another name will be randomly chosen. The winner will be announced next week on the Mood Facebook page, so like us to see if your name is drawn. Good luck, and if you aren’t the winner don’t despair because more fabric giveaways are on the horizon!

Above, Eric with some of our beautiful glazed linens. These shimmer in the light and have almost a metallic sheen. Eric likes them for summertime special occasion dresses, including prom dresses and bridesmaid gowns. Shown here in maize, lilac and moss; each 54″ wide, $18/yard.

Missoni-style knits are still in demand, reports Eric. He envisions using these poly knits to create draped dresses and tops in the style of designer Issey Miyake. 54″ wide, $18/yard.

Now normally I don’t get overly excited about rayon jerseys, but when I touched this red jersey above I practically gasped. Trust Eric to find the most scrumptious rayon/viscose jersey around. Eric says he’d turn this red jersey into a Halston-style dress with thin rhinestone straps crisscrossing in the back. (I’d make a dress like this one by C&T Costello Tagliapietra, personally.) The yellow and green jerseys are equally cool. Each 54″ wide, $14/yard.

Above, Eric with an incredible dress he designed and sewed from our linen. Love it!

More about Eric:

• With Mood for more than five years
• Studied fashion design at the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago
• Likes to design pieces that can be worn by a man or a woman, and look equally good on both
• Knits are his favorite fabric to sew, and he loves to drape (note to self: Get Eric to teach me about draping); he’s big into dyeing fabrics as well
• Favorite part about working at Mood is assisting customers with realizing their ideas. “I was lucky enough to have teachers who helped and mentored me, so I like to do the same with my customers,” says Eric.

Hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about Eric and will visit him soon on our upper floor in the NYC store. I’ll profile another NYC store employee again next week, so be on the lookout.

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Mother’s Day is this Sunday! Here’s my idea of a perfect Mother’s Day present: The kids and husband do the laundry and other chores I typically put off until Sunday, leaving me a few hours of uninterrupted sewing time. Priceless! Enjoy your weekend and I hope you get lots of sewing time in too.

Inspiration: DVF Hanky Top

Sewing inspiration: I thought something like the DVF top shown above would be the perfect top for the warmer months. It looks breezy-cool to wear and like a breeze to sew. I mean seriously, who wants to be inside sewing on a warm spring or summer day? Not me, so that’s why I gravitate toward fast and simple projects from May through August.

Pattern: Butterick 5463 is a basic tunic pattern that comes close to the unstructured-ness of the DVF inspiration top. I tried View D, with the elbow-length sleeves, and shortened the sleeves and the bodice length.

Fabric: Bright green silk crepe de chine from our store in NYC. Have I mentioned how much I love silk crepe de chine? I swear it’s one of the most versatile fabrics out there. It makes great tops, pants, flowing skirts and linings, and it’s easier (I think) to work with than silk charmeuse. We have silk crepe de chine in all colors in our NYC and LA stores, and tons more at Moodfabrics.com.

Finished top:

Butterick 5463 in green silk crepe de chine; paired with a turquoise necklace.

I love it when minimal effort delivers maximum results. The finished top was easy to sew, fits me perfectly, and the color is flattering and looks fantastic with jeans of all colors, especially white. I’m calling it the “Ann top,” after Ann in our silk department. (Originally I was going to make this out of a gray silk crepe de chine, but Ann persuaded me to go with the green and I’m so glad she did.)

Do you have any favorite top patterns for the spring and summer? Have you ever made a top out of silk crepe de chine? Leave a comment here because we’d love to hear from you!

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Save 15% on Mother’s Day gift cards! If I didn’t already work here I’d want my family to get me a gift card from Mood Fabrics for Mother’s day. Seriously, what a great gift for fabric-holics like us. Hurry, the fifteen percent savings on online gift cards only lasts until this Thursday, 11:59 pm ET. (Online only; not available in stores.)

Above: These folk art-inspired fabrics are flying off the bolts, says Danyce. She attributes their popularity to the bright colors and fresh look. In fact, she likes the fabric she’s holding so much she just made living room curtains out of them. Cotton, $30/yard, comes in four different colorways.

Above: Flamestitch designs like this Williamsburg vintage print are also hot, Danyce reports. She sees this fabric as a multipurpose fabric, perfect for light upholstery and things like headboards. Comes in blue, red, green and pebble; linen; $30/yard.

Above: Neutrals are always popular, and we just restocked these fabulous metallic linens in natural and ivory. Window treatments, bedding and accent pieces are perfect for this fabric, says Danyce. Linen, $35/yard.

About Danyce:

• With Mood for three years.
• Has an interior design degree from Parsons
• Worked for commercial and residential design firms and has done retail display work. Soft goods is her area of expertise
• At Mood, regularly assists TV show set designers. TV shows that use our home fabric include Gossip Girl, Ringer, HGTV Design Star, Boardwalk Empire, Blue Bloods, and Mom Caves.
• Has a roster of skilled craftspeople who can upholster and sew slipcovers, pillows, window treatments and more
• “It never gets boring working here,” she says. “Every person who comes in has something unique and different they want to do.” Danyce loves it when her customers send her photos of what they’ve done with their Mood purchases.

Hope you enjoyed getting to know Danyce. Check back again next week for new posts on the Mood Sewciety blog. And we’d love it if you’d add us to your blogrolls so more people can find out that we’re now blogging regularly and talking about our favorite subject—fabric!

10 Crosby Derek Lam Maxi Skirt, available at Shopbop.

Lately I’ve been seeing maxi skirts everywhere in New York City, on stylish women of all ages. So of course now I’m craving one for myself and may make this my next sewing project. Let’s look at pattern possibilities…

• Vogue 1310 Chado Ralph Rucci: The draping of this maxi skirt is to die for. A person could look like a slender column in this pattern. I think I’d shorten it so it doesn’t sweep the floor (not really practical for running up and down the stairs here at Mood NYC).
• McCalls 6567 or Butterick 5757: Nice basic patterns, easy elastic waists, look like they could be swishy enough and would work well in a number of fabrics
• Simplicity 4188: A yoked waistband and multiple panels make for a very swirly skirt. Soft wovens like silk would work well with it.
• Burda 7553: Very similar to the Derek Lam skirt above.

A silk-and-lycra blend that would make a stunning maxi skirt. Available at Mood NYC for $35/yard.

I think a maxi skirt made out of this fabric and paired with a white shirt and black or dark accessories could look so chic. What do you think? Too bold? Or perfect for a summer day?

Tips for sewing a maxi skirt: Well, not a whole lot, actually, because I think sewing a maxi skirt should be purposely simple and easy. Choose a fabric that drapes well and doesn’t need a lining, and that’s half the battle. Do a simple machine-stitched narrow hem, finish seams as appropriate for your fabric, and that’s it. Wear and enjoy!

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Shop our COLOR EXPLOSION sale happening now! We’ve discounted all our colorful fashion fabric by 20% at Mood Fabrics online. Save now through Thursday 5/3/12 11:59 p.m. (Excludes black or white solids, prints in black & white, all home decor fabrics, codes starting in PV, and dressforms. Online only.)

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Check back here again on Friday, when we visit with Danyce of our Home department for Favorite Fabric Friday. See you then!

Michael thinks silk jersey is perfect for summer maxi dresses or skirts because of the way it drapes and moves so gracefully. The lime green silk jersey print that he is holding actually has more of a soft, watercolor appearance in person—it’s really lovely (54 inches wide, $30/yd). The coral and light green silk jerseys are equally appealing, and would sew up into on-trend tops and dresses (each 50 inches wide, $25/yd).

For coverups, tunics, and even lined circle skirts, Michael suggests cotton voiles. This voile print Michael chose looks perfect for a summer day with its soft pinks, peaches and greens. 52 inches wide and $12/yd.

Last, Michael gravitated toward this lightweight cotton plaid we just got in the store. It’s doublefaced! One side is a large print in gray, red, aqua and yellow with shots of metallic silver threads running through it; the other side is a large gray check. Michael envisions a cool shirtdress or shorts from this nifty fabric, with the plain check side used as an accent fabric. 54″ wide and a steal at $14/yd.

Can’t make it to the NYC or LA stores? Here are some similar options online:

Paisley cotton voile, $10/yd

Silk jersey print in gray, blue, yellow and white, $25/yd

Marc Jacobs cotton plaid shirting, $10

About Michael:

• A graduate of  International Academy of Design & Technology in Tampa, where he grew up.
• When he’s not at Mood, he’s designing women’s wear and is working on a new collection right now. “Downtown girl” is the vibe Michael wants his work to express.
• Favorite designers are Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler, Balmain, Lanvin and Balenciaga.
• Plays the piano and sings in rock bands
• Likes the “great family feeling” that comes with working at Mood. Favorite customers to assist are fashion students working on their collections.

An example of a test garment, or "muslin." Threads Magazine has an excellent article on sewing muslins. Photo: Scott Phillips.

Here’s a question for you: What is the most valuable fabric Mood Fabrics sells? The $350 per yard embroidered lace in our NYC store? Not even close. It’s the $3 a yard muslin. For fashion students, designers and home sewers alike, plain old cheap muslin is priceless in terms of saving time and money and getting the best end results.

Definition of a muslin for sewing (I’m borrowing this one from Webster’s online dictionary because it’s pretty good):

“When sewing clothing, a test or fitting garment may be made of inexpensive muslin fabric before cutting the intended expensive fabric, thereby avoiding a costly mistake. The muslin garment is often called a muslin and the process is called making a muslin. With the availability of inexpensive synthetic fabrics, which closely resemble the hand (drape and feel) of expensive natural fabrics, a test or fitting garment made of synthetics may still be referred to as a muslin, because the word has become the generic term for a test or fitting garment.”

While muslin cotton is the preferred fabric choice for creating test garments, as you can clearly see stitching lines and it’s easy to write on, you can substitute any inexpensive fabric as long as it mimics the properties of your fashion fabric. I like to pick up fabric at rummage sales to use for many of my muslins.

Do you sew muslins regularly? Fashion students are taught to make muslins, and designers always use them, but most beginning home sewers aren’t initially aware of this important step. Personally, once I started sewing muslins as a routine part of my process, the quality of my finished garments really improved and my sewing success rate went up.

When should you sew a muslin?

• Any time you’re trying a new design or pattern that is not similar to previous designs or patterns you’ve sewn
• Any time you’re making a garment and the fit needs to be spot-on
• Any time you’re sewing with fabric that you’d cry over if you cut, sewed and then discovered you hated your pattern or cut it too small, etc.

Here's a jacket muslin I made and subsequently discovered that my pattern was too big. Making size adjustments to a muslin is way easier than fussing with good fashion fabric.

Sewing muslins: For home sewers who don’t need to worry about production issues, fast and quick is fine. Machine-stitch with long stitches. Mark anything with a pen or tailor’s chalk that you may need to see to make alterations to your muslin, like seamlines and darts. Sometimes I’ll leave off details like a collar or pocket and sew a muslin just to the point where I can tell if it will work or not. Sew and alter a muslin to the point where you’re confident it’s ready to be used as a pattern with your fashion fabric.

Hopefully you’re convinced muslins are the way to go. Now here are some muslin-worthy fabrics ready for you to sew!

Stunning Marc Jacobs brocade, $50/yd

Lovely French chenille lace in pumpkin, $30/yd.

Scrumptious 4-ply silk in lavender, $40/yd

You know we have lots more where those came from. Visit Mood Fabrics online.

Are you a muslin maker? Or do you prefer to take your chances and forge ahead with your fashion fabric? There’s always healthy online discussion among sewers about this very topic.

Thanks for stopping by. Check back here again on Favorite Fabric Friday, featuring the effervescent Sueann of the cotton department in the NYC store. She’ll share her favorite fabrics of the moment, and she has great taste.

Above: Here’s Todd with some jerseys that would make pretty maxi dresses. From left, a super-soft rayon striped jersey in orange and pink, two rayon jersey prints, and a poly/spandex jersey  that can also be used for swimwear. And they’re all only $14 a yard!

Above: You can’t go wrong with cool linen on a warm day. Todd has lots of linen in all colors, perfect for indulging your colorblocking whims. And these too are only $14 a yard! From left, coral linen in a medium weight, 56″ wide, nice for dresses and tops; a yellow linen in a heavier weight with a crisp hand and drape, perfect for a spring jacket or skirt, 56″ wide; and a heavier-weight linen in royal blue with a soft hand and drape, 56″ wide.

Can’t make it to our NYC or LA stores? Here are some picks for linens and jerseys from Mood Fabrics online:

Medium-weight soft aqua linen, $10/yd.	Lightweight pale pink linen with a crisp hand, $10/yd.
Magenta tie-dye cotton jersey, $10/yd	Purple and aqua rayon jersey, $14/yd.

Get to know Todd:

• He went to FIT and has tons of retail experience.
• His favorite part of working at Mood is helping people work on their personal projects. “I like to show people beautiful fabrics and help them realize their visions,” he says.
• He says working at Mood is a very “interactive job.” “I spend all day answering questions and talking about fabric,” explains Todd. “My customers like to work with someone who is as passionate about fabric as they are.”
• He doesn’t sew himself but he does like to have pants and sometimes shirts custom-made for him, from fabric he gets at Mood, of course.

Hope you enjoyed getting to know Todd. Tell him you read about him here the next time you’re in the store. Stop by again next week for another Favorite Fabric Friday and enjoy your sewing this weekend!

from the Metropolitan Museum: Wrap dress, 1975–76 Diane von Furstenberg (American, born Brussels, 1946) Green-and-white dotted cotton/rayon blend jersey

Thank you, DVF!
When Diane von Furstenberg designed her wrap dress in the 1970s she created both a flattering wardrobe staple and a classic piece for women to sew.  Women of all ages should consider having at least one wrap dress in their closets. You can buy wrap dresses from designers like DVF, Issa, Roberto Cavalli and Vanessa Bruno, or  you can sew your own unique wrap dress. Guess which option we think you should choose?!

Inspiration: DVF New Julian Two classic wrap dress, $365 USD.

Wrap dress patterns:
Basic jersey wrap dresses are easy to sew and can be successfully tackled by advanced beginners. Here are a few wrap dress patterns that are takes on the basic DVF style:

New Look 6674

Style Arc Kate Dress

BurdaStyle wrap dress #139 02/2011, plus size

Kwik Sew 3489

Butterick 5454

Vogue  8784

Choose your fabric:
DVF uses silk jersey for her iconic dresses; cotton jersey works just as well. Mood Fabrics has a wide assortment of jersey prints and solids, both in silk or cotton. Click here for prints and here for solids.

Colorful silk jersey print, $25/yd

Soft blue rayon jersey print, $14/yd

Tips:

• Depending on the pattern you use, consider binding the front neckline edge rather than using a facing.
• Stabilize the shoulder seams with clear elastic, twill tape, organza strips, or your own preferred stabilizing method.
• Use an overlock machine to stitch hems for a professional look. If you don’t own an overlock machine, use a twin needle. Take a scrap piece of your fabric and sew a test hem first. If you get dimpling or puckering, try interfacing the hem area with a lightweight, compatible fusible interfacing.
• If you’re serging seams for speed and a clean finish, check your fit first before stitching. You want to have a close-to-the-body look for maximum flattery. Make sure your sleeve caps are snug to the shoulder without any unintentional gathering at the top of the armscye.

Now get sewing! If you make a wrap dress with fabric from Mood, we’d love to see a photo. Send jpegs to me at meg [at] moodfabrics dot com. And if you have any ideas for future blog topics, send those my way too. Thanks!

“Game of Thrones” Swatch.
Wearing fox and deerskin from our leather department in the NYC store and doing his best Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark imitation.