Happy New Year everyone!  One of my reSEWlutions this year is to try new things.  And of course that includes new fabrics I’ve never tried before!

I hold Adrianna, the designer behind Hey June Patterns responsible for this new fabric obsession of mine.  When she updated the Union St. Tee pattern, she updated the fabric recommendations to include modal, bamboo, triblend, cotton/poly and rayon blends.  Since I’d worked with everything on that list except triblend and modal, I wanted to expand my fabric knowledge, so decided to start with modal.  And then I fell in love!  Modal is super soft, and has a great drape.  It doesn’t cling to your body like a rayon blend, or double brushed poly tend to.  It is translucent, so undergarments don’t show through like they do with super thin knit fabric.

CaliFabrics has a great selection of (currently 15!) modal fabrics, each in a gorgeous color.   For myself I chose the rust brushed modal jersey knit fabric.  According to color charts and tests, I’m an autumn, so this rust color works for me all year round.  I sewed the v-neck version of the Union St. Tee for myself.  Every single time I’ve made the v-neck from this pattern it turns out perfectly, so that’s what I call good instructions!  The modal fabric is stable enough to make a gorgeous v-neck and still drape beautifully across the other areas of the shirt.  I did raise the neckline 1” because #momlife right?  I mean, about the 30th time I’m bending over to pick up a kid off the floor, and holding my shirt closed with the other hand I give up!  So, raising the v-neck by 1 inch and shortening the neckband by 1” also works out better, leaving me both hands free to chase those rascals.  The other changes I make to the pattern are a 1” wide shoulder adjustment, and add 1” to the length of the sleeves.  Because I’m 6” tall, I have long arms and wide shoulders too!

One of the changes made in the updated Union St. Tee pattern is the addition of a FBA.  I use this pattern adjustment for my oldest daughter, and the result is such a beautiful fit!  She chose the charcoal color of modal jersey knit fabric.  CaliFabrics modal is a 55% polyester 45% modal blend, and it is amazing quality!  We love how it’s brushed on one side and smooth on the other.  For her I sewed the crew neck, but lowered it by 1” because she prefers not to have her shirt tight against her neck, but wanted it higher than the scoop neck version.

My other teenage daughter chose the navy blue color of modal jersey.  Now here’s a funny story: I sewed her the exact same size with the exact same adjustments (except making the crew neck as described above for her sister) I make for myself because that’s what she has been wearing for the past year.  But when she put on her shirt, the sleeves were too short!  Since she’s still about 1/4” shorter than me I couldn’t figure out what on earth happened.  Then she suggested we compare arm length from shoulders to fingertips, and her arms are at least 2’ longer than mine!!  Since she’s 15 and still growing, we’re guessing this means she’ll end up taller than me too.  After we had a good laugh over this, she asked if I would just open the hem and add a cuff.  I proposed just keeping the shirt for myself.  But I’ll probably add cuffs for her…

Alright, leave a comment telling me what to sew next with modal fabric!  What have you made with modal jersey knit fabric?  Have you tried it yet?