Hey Everybody! Finally, I'm back with some current sewing!! Woo hoo! And as you can see, I'm also here with some snow and cold weather. I took these photos on Sunday at the Lake, as we drove back to Calgary on Monday for the winter. I cannot believe how much snow we left in BC, and how much we came home to in Calgary. It's kind of crazy, and it's cold!! I'm just not ready for this! I was just settling into fall.
Anyway, this is a collaboration post of sorts. A couple months ago, Gillian (from Craftin' A Rainbow and the Sewcialists) and Margo (from Creating in the Gap) and I were chatting on Instagram, and we thought it would be cool if we all sewed a garment from the same fabric, and then shared it on our blogs and Instagram at the same time. And to make it even better, we thought because we're all Canadian, why not get our fabric from our a Canadian store.
Of course, Blackbird Fabrics was the answer. If you've followed me for even a short time, you already know that Blackbird Fabrics is one of my all time favourite shops. Caroline (the owner) really has a great eye, and a fantasticly curated selection of gorgeous fabrics, and with free shipping in Canada when you spend $100, how can you not shop there? I mean for us Canadians, with a terribly weak dollar, and horrendous shipping costs (not to mention customs and duties fees) when you shop from the States, Blackbird Fabrics is a no brainer.
So, then came the hard part: choosing a fabric. Being the indecisive person that I am, I was no help. So we decided to contact Caroline and see if she had any suggestion for us, and not only did she agree to choose a fabric for the three of us, she sent us each 2m for free. How awesome is that? She kept it a secret from us, and sent us each a mystery package. It was so fun to open the surprise package, and find this gorgeous double knit inside. It was love at first sight. Plus it feels amazing too.
Originally, I was thinking of making some sort of dress, although I really didn't have a pattern in mind, but when I showed it to John, he was like, "you need to make a sweatshirt out of that! Something you'll wear all the time, because that fabric is beautiful". So naturally, I went back to my TNT Hey June Halifax Hoodie. I just love this pattern, and because of the lovely drape this double knit fabric has, I knew it would be perfect for the cowl neck.
This sweatshirt is my new favourite thing. It's so warm and snuggly, and I love the colours so much!! Plus every time I look at it, I'll think of Gillian and Margo, and that makes me happy. Sewing friends are the best! Sadly, this fabric is already sold out. Blackbird Fabrics is definitely one of those shops where when you see something you love, you need to jump on it right away, because things sell out fast. I was shocked at how quickly both colorways of this fabric sold out (well not really, because I know how amazing it really is. Ha ha!). Anyway, I hope you'll check out both Margo's and Gillian's blogs for their posts, and if you are looking for more details about how I sewed this pattern, see this post or this post).
Hope you all are enjoying your November so far!