So first let me just say, Mood is pretty much the greatest. I know it's a little expensive and a little overwhelming but there's seriously SO much great fabric! And the people are crazy nice! Couldn't have asked for a better experience. In truth I didn't go as crazy as I thought I would, due to time, exhaustion and not boring my friend, shopping companion and official photographer to death. Thanks for the help Brit! First some pictures of the experience...
Here I am, holding a bolt that I wrangled from the shelves. Such a feeling of accomplishment compared to the normal fabric shopping experience.
Swatch the dog!
Lovely.
This makes me want to go back...
And now on to the fabrics... (Sorry the pictures aren't great, the weather has been crummy so I was desperately trying to get the most light possible, hence the patches from the window panes)
I ended up with 2 shopping days during my trip to NYC. The first day I was there I ended up with a few hours to myself while my friend was finishing up her work day. I found my way to 39th street, and wandered through some tiny fabric stores, trying not to get killed by falling bolts. I was kind of intimidated by the whole process of buying fabric from these places since I'm so used to the JoAnn/Hancock fabrics system, but I couldn't resist these 2 pieces so I figured it out. These pieces came from a place called Hamad Fabrics (not sure of the spelling), which had a lot of really beautiful fabrics. The piece on the left is a silk charmuese which you may recognize from the cover of one of Leanne Marshall's new line of patterns for Simplicity. The second is a gorgeous silk crepe that I'm hoping to squeeze my Easter dress out of.
All the rest of my shopping was done at Mood later in the trip and accompanied by my friend/host in NYC. I decided to make my focus finding prints that I really love, since it's easier to find/order solid colored fabrics. Also, I never seem to make tops, so I wanted to find some great fabrics that would make breezy summer blouses. These first two pieces are cotton jersey. I bought a yard of everything since I was planning on making shirts and I can usually squeeze one out in a yard, however, the jersey print on the right had some damage on the bolt, so I got an extra 3/4 of a yard at 75% off. I'm thinking I might be able to get a wrap dress out of it with the extra.
These pieces might be my favorites. They're all silk/cotton blends and they're super light weight and soft. They're a little different than my normal print and color choices but I think they'll make gorgeous breezy summer tunics.
Ok, just kidding earlier, this piece is actually my favorite. It's silk charmuese and it's so lovely and drapey I can barely stand it! I got 1.5 yards of this because I felt like it was calling to me to be a drapey little dress to wear to a few of the weddings I'm attending this summer. The color blue isn't really coming across well in these pictures but it's closer to the color in the shadows...
So excited about my new fabric!
Overall I didn't go quite as crazy as I expected, but I did still manage to spend quite a bit of money. Worth it though, since natural fibers are hard to find in these parts. My appetite was definitely whetted though, now I need an excuse to go back soon!
