Editor’s note: We are pleased to welcome Carrie of This Mama Makes Stuff as our newest Mood Sewing Network blogger. She replaces Renee, who unfortunately had to bow out of MSN due to time constraints. Carrie blogs from Orange County, CA, and she loves to shop at Mood LA and sew unique children’s clothes. We’re delighted to have her and hope you’ll enjoy following her here.
Even though it was over 12 years ago, I still remember the day a co-worker guided me into that old, rickety elevator on 37th street and introduced me to Mood, my little slice of heaven on earth. I had just moved to NYC with my husband for what we thought would be a fun adventure–him in law school and me living my dream of working in the fashion industry in NYC. Most days, I would just go and “window shop,” knowing our tiny student budget and escalating school loans could not support a budding designer fabric addict. In our 400-square foot studio apartment, it was difficult to sew much of anything anyway. Other days I couldn’t resist taking something special home (even if I did have to hide it in the back of the closet for months at a time). Every so often, I’d take on a special sewing project for a friend and it’d give me an excuse to walk the aisles of Mood with someone else’s money in my pocket with the goal of creating a timeless keepsake (something that can only happen when you start with the very best fabric).
When we decided to move our family back west to southern California after nearly seven years in NYC, I knew the thing I’d miss most was having a best friend who lived upstairs from me. The thing I’d miss second? Shopping at Mood Fabrics. The opening of an LA store a few months after our move sure helped ease the pain. A couple weeks ago, I had the chance to visit the new and twice-as-big location in Los Angeles.
I was so overwhelmed with the amazing space they have now at 645 S. La Brea Avenue, I forgot to take a photo and had to steal this one from Racked LA.
I thought giving myself an hour and a half to get lost in these rolls of fabric would be enough. When I hadn’t gotten past the first aisle after an hour, I knew I had to call the babysitter and see if she could stay for “just a little longer.” In reality, I was wishing I had brought my sleeping bag. Mood sleepover anyone?
Mood NY might have Swatch the dog as their official mascot, but LA has a resident furry friend of their own. Meet Oscar. He’s already used to the paparazzi.
Is it just me, or does everyone who visits a Mood Fabric store secretly hope for a Project Runway celeb spotting? This must have been my lucky day because Mila Hermanovski is more than just a Project Runway star, she is one of my favorite all-star designers. I’m pretty sure I embarrassed myself before I got my giddiness under control.
After the excitement of a celeb spotting and two glorious (kid-free) hours of sifting through bolts and bolts of gorgeous fabric, I finally committed to my first purchases for my firsy Mood Sewing Network project. You’ll have to wait a bit for that reveal. Until then, I thought I’d share a couple quick projects made from fabric purchased from Mood Fabric in NYC on a trip last fall.
Mood has the greatest selection of jersey stripes. I was drawn to this jersey stripe because of the tie dye effect on the alternating stripes. You can find a similar one HERE.
When you have cool fabric, and little time, there’s no need for a fancy pattern, especially when a simple maxi skirt can make this little girl happy as a clam. If you need a tutorial, this one is extremely close to how I made mine.
Leather is not my fabric of choice, but the rainbow wall of beautiful leather at Mood is hard to resist. Real leather is not available in the online store, but you can find faux leather and suede HERE.
I just recently mustered up the courage to cut into the piece of blush leather I picked up at Mood Fabrics last August. I started with something small and simple: baby moccasins. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be. Ready for your own easy leather project? You can find tutorials for similar moccasins HERE and HERE.
Thanks for letting me do a little obsessing, reporting and a little show and tell. I’m thrilled to be a part of the Mood Sewing Network, surrounded by uber-talented sewists and bolts and bolts of gorgeous fabric. This must be heaven.