Hello!! I am so excited to be sharing my very first post as a June + Lu Fabrics ambassador today! June & Lu Fabrics is still fairly new on the scene, opening just last year in 2021. This small fabric shop specializes in European Fabrics, and carries a number of really beautiful, high quality lines. I had the opportunity to choose from her lovely, curated fabric selection and sew it up as I pleased. I chose a beautiful viscose rayon from the new See You At Six collection, and I could not have been more pleased!
I’d gotten a little sneak peek of the Fibre Mood Hortence top right before it released, and right away I thought it would look so good in this fabric. I thought that the small floral of the fabric would be so great for the shirred details. Having never tried shirring before, I also thought that the dark background and overall print would be forgiving enough if my first attempt wasn’t as successful as I hoped!! I was right – on both parts.
This fabric is a perfect match to this pattern. It is so soft and drapey, which really lends to the overall blousiness. I especially love how it works through the sleeves! The floral print looks cute puckered up in the shirred sections, but it doesn’t confuse the eye to see the floral enlarge as it continues on to the flat-laying fabric below.
I didn’t ace my shirring technique right away – shocking, right? I didn’t really do any test runs on scrap fabric, and decided to just go for it…. Living dangerous. I found that the fabric was not gathering up quite as much as I would’ve liked, and I realized somewhere down the line that although I had originally increased my stitch length, I must’ve changed something up as I went. I think that this return to a standard stitch length may have been the reason that my shirring ended up a little looser than I expected. Due to the shape of the top, this isn’t immensely obvious through the bodice section, but is much more recognizable at the sleeves. I expected the shirred portion of the sleeve to hug my wrist. Instead, it adds a little shape at the wrist and is the perfect bit of extra tension to hold the sleeves comfortably around my forearms when I want to push them up a bit.
I had to pause midway through this project after running out of elastic thread. I have a pretty well stocked sewing room, so it isn’t often that I find myself with the time to sew but not the supplies! As this was my first time trying our shirring, I’d purchased about twice the recommended elastic thread – a new to me notion – before starting this project. As I went, though, I found that I used more than three times the recommended amount of elastic thread! Again, I believe this was due to me absentmindedly forgetting to lengthen my stitch, thereby tightening my shirring.
Despite my loose shirring, this has quickly become a favorite top in my wardrobe. It is ridiculously comfortable to wear – between the luxurious fabric and the soft shaping you get with the shirring technique, this pattern absolutely qualifies as secret pajamas. In fact, I may have fallen asleep in this one once or twice. I feel put together and stylish in this top, and it works well for days when I prefer to wear something nice to work rather than scrubs. It also looks totally at home with a pair of cut off shorts and sandals. This is so easy to dress up or dress down. Even my husband was impressed when he learned I’d sewn this one!
I’m looking forward to partnering with June + Lu Fabrics throughout 2022! This was the first of three projects I’ll have the pleasure of doing with them this year, and it has been a great experience so far. They have a fantastic collection of See You At Six, Art Gallery, and Elvelyckan Designs fabric stocked right now, which is a treat to the eyes to scroll through. I’ve got my eye on a number of fabrics that would be lovely for some mommy and me designs for myself and the girl!
Top: handmade by me
Pattern: FibreMood – Hortence Top
Fabric: June + Lu Fabrics – Dried Flowers Blue Graphite Viscose Rayon by See You At Six
Key Ingredients:
Brother XR9500PRW Sewing Machine
Brother 1034D Overlocker
Dahle 36×48 Self-healing Cutting Mat
Prym Sewing Machine Needles
Gutermann Sew All Polyester Sewing Thread
Thanks for reading my thoughts on this fabric! The fabric used for this post was kindly provided to me by June + Lu Fabrics in exchange for photos of my finished garments and a review of my experience with the fabric, to be posted on social media. The pattern was purchased by me. All words and opinions expressed throughout this post are my own, as always. Links provided throughout this post may be affiliate links – if you choose to purchase any products through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you. This simply helps me justify the costs of my sewing habit and the time it takes to share it with you!! Happy Sewing!
- XX Elizabeth
