FibreMood Sewing Pattern Magazine Review and Preview!

Hi sewing friends! Have you picked up a copy of the FibreMood bi-monthly sewing magazine yet? I’d seen good things about their designs and size range for a while but hadn’t got my hands on a copy until Issue 09. I was recently invited to preview their patterns ahead of each Edition hitting the shops and I was thrilled; I really think FibreMood might just be the pattern magazine I have been waiting for! Issue 10 is out today so I thought I’d take the opportunity to share my thoughts on the magazine overall as well as show you my first FibreMood project – I’m truly excited by this pattern magazine!

FibreMood Issue 10

Let me preface this, however, by underlining the fact that I have only ever regularly bought two sewing magazines; right back at the beginning of my sewing journey I picked up Love Sewing. As I outgrew that I began purchasing Burda instead – in fact, I have a decent sized stash of Burda magazines. Perhaps tellingly, whilst I find them generally inspiring and love flicking through them whilst necking endless cups of tea, I’ve never actually been inspired enough to actually sew one of their patterns! I confess this is mainly because I simply cannot bring myself to trace out and add seam allowances to the seemingly impenetrable configuration of pattern lines.

Enclosed within the matt pages of FibreMood are pattern after pattern after pattern of the like you would expect to see any of the most popular Indie sewing pattern designers releasing – to my mind, FibreMoods’ target audience is clearly today’s home sewer – one who doesn’t ‘just’ sew clothes but crafts modern, fashion-forward garments.

I really don’t want to use the word ‘edgy’ for fear it makes me sound naff but *ahem* I think FibreMood might actually be…cool! (I feel totally naff saying that too, haha!) The layout of the magazine is focused almost exclusively on clean, beautifully photographed garments; pattern information and line drawings (hooray!) – there is very little unnecessary editorial content.

The Danika JumpSuit

What I love about FibreMood is the sense they’ve truly caught the zeitgeist – not only with the flavour of their patterns but also in embracing the online sewing (#sewista) community both on Instagram and on their own platform, offering a support network and a growing treasure trove of tips and inspiration. They even produce regular live ‘sewcial sewalongs’ (with discounts on the featured patterns) in several languages; the English version being hosted by the lovely Kate @timetosew over on Instagram (later posted onto the Website for watching in your own time). See here for more info.

FibreMood Magazine Issue 10 pattern line drawings

The patterns themselves – for women, men and little ones – come in a pull-out booklet in the centre of the magazine…like Burda, they are overlaid and you will need to trace and, in some cases, stick together the larger pieces prior to tracing. However, there’s far less of them piled on top of each other making the lines quite easy to see in comparison.

Seam allowances are also included in the PDF and AO copies; the paper patterns need seam allowances added when you trace them – the pattern instructions tell you how much to add, e.g. bias tape neckline will be 0.5cm, standard seam 1cm and hems anywhere between 2-4cm.

If you go to the individual patterns in the online shop, there are also short video clips showing the made up patterns in action; recommendations for fabrics (and where to find them!), styling and alteration tips etc.

If you register online, the full written pattern instructions are provided free, so you can check them out before deciding to purchase the actual pattern or browse magazine in full! The pattern instructions in the magazine are pictorial only; however, from what I’ve seen, they are exceptionally clear to understand.

And here’s another thing I love about Fibremood’s patterns – the size range. There’s no segregation between ‘standard’ size patterns and ‘plus’ size patterns you find in, say, Burda magazine. All adult patterns come in the size range XS to XXXL.

Issue 10 comes with 13 full patterns / 31 variations (plus some Macrame!) I want to sew several of them! Here’s a closer look at my picks from this edition :

The Colette Dress – I’m really loving the look of this dress; such a summer staple. It has an invisible side zip and a faux placket to the front – so a welcome guarantee of no gaping there!

FibreMood Agatha Dress

The Agatha Dress – this is designed for knits but if you add an invisible zip it could potentially be made in a woven. I love the bodice; I love the sleeves – here’s my friend Suzy’s @sewing_in_spain preview version – isn’t it lovely!

The Franca Dress – I really want to make this in a really fluid fabric and add a long tie belt. I’m dreaming of a navy tencil or a sandwashed silk…and long hot summer days!

My First FibreMood Make!

FibreMood Adam Shorts

I decided to make up a child’s pattern – the Adam shorts. Just prior to being invited to join FibreMood’s pattern preview team, I was bemoaning how difficult it was to find decent RTW summer clothing to fit my daughter. I’ve sewn her a few things recently (they haven’t made it to the blog yet) but she still needed shorts. The Adam shorts are a unisex pattern and can be made up in either stretch or woven; they’re a pretty good stash buster really. Style wise I think they’re a bit like a kiddy version of the Closet Case Files Pietra Trousers / Shorts which I’m planning to make for myself…so we can match!

I made them up in a fab polka stretch cotton. Her measurements put her at size / age 14; she’s actually 10 but we do generally buy her ready to wear in the 13-14 age bracket too. So I cut that size but took out a fair bit of length. My only feint criticism really is that lengthen / shortern lines are not printed on the pattern pieces, however, instructions are given within the pattern as to generally where to make this alteration. Given the way these shorts are designed (with inseam pockets), I best determined this by pining the pattern pieces together and holding them up against my daughter to gauge how much I needed to remove. I pencilled a line across the rise and leg areas which I then scored using a tracing wheel. Using the tracing wheel meant that when I unpinned the pieces I could ‘see’ my marked cut line through all pattern piece layers. I hope that makes sense!

I love the resultant shorts and so does my daughter, who says they are very comfortable to wear! I like how they provide enough coverage, so they’re great for things like cycling and playing. I generally find that age 14 RTW clothing is just generally too sassy for her (For me, I should say!) – I much prefer these, I love ’em! They’re also a really nice sew; the instructions were fab and the pattern came together really nicely. It truly gives me confidence in trying other patterns from Fibremood…

Adam Shorts – for girls and boys!

…which just makes me really excited!

How to get your hands on a copy of the mag and / or the patterns

There are a number of ways to get your hands on a copy, each at it’s own price point.

The physical, printed, copy of the magazine is available here in the UK, in WH Smiths and retails at £9.99 including all the patterns. Or you can browse the magazine in full online free and choose to purchase only the patterns you love the most individually at circa €7.50 for the downloadable PDF and around €9.95 – €12.95 (plus shipping) to buy paper copies. There are several discounted subscription options to choose from too!

Although I received Issue 09 and the Adam shorts free for review / preview purposes, I will certainly be purchasing additional patterns and magazines from now on!

Until next time, happy sewing

For more regular sewing chat, find me on Instagram at @sewsarahsmith

Disclaimer – I was sent Issue 09 free of charge for review purposes. I also received preview patterns free of charge as part of Fibremoods social media pattern review team. Notwithstanding, the views I express in this Post are my honest and impartial opinion. Links given in this post may be Affiliate links – if you choose to purchase via an Affiliate link you will not be charged any extra, however, I may receive a small commission. Thank you! Sarah x

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