Today I’m sharing my review of the Fibre Mood Trix Dress from the most recent edition of Fibre Mood magazine.

(Disclosure: I received a copy of this pattern for free in advance of the magazine’s release from Fibre Mood in exchange for sharing about it on release day. But I’m also a magazine subscriber so I would have received it anyway – I just enjoy sewing it up early!).

I sewed the Fibre Mood Trix in a checked transparent silk from The Fabric Store online, with the lining in mustard viscose. I was instantly attracted to the thought of these ruffles in silk!

Just see how pretty the silk looks all ruffled up!!!

So, my Fibre Mood Trix is a size “L”. Well, L-ish!!!!

Although the Fibre Mood Trix looked very roomy and oversized from the photos, the “bulk” comes from the ruffles. The lining (which actually makes up the base of the dress) is not actually super roomy. When looking at the lining pattern pieces, I was actually afraid that it wouldn’t fit me around the hips, so I added a couple of centimetres extra to every layer except the top one. So my version of the Fibre Mood Trix is really only an L at the bust and is larger further down.

In addition, based on the finished measurement chart, it was very clear to me that the pattern did not have enough ease around the upper arm for me. Again, although the visible sleeve looks very roomy, it actually has an inner sleeve which is quite a bit narrower and it was the inner sleeve that definitely wouldn’t have fit around my arm without adjustment.

So I did a full bicep adjustment. As the sleeve is actually a raglan-style that then morphs into the square neck, the full bicep adjustment was a bit of a mess and I probably interfered with the way the pattern is supposed to fall around the shoulder. But the pattern seems flexible enough that it still works. And, at least it fits around my arm!

Sewing the Fibre Mood Trix Dress

Although there is plenty of gathering, I found the Five Mood Trix dress a pretty enjoyable sew.

I couldn’t really envisage in my head how the square neck was going to come together and how the inner sleeve would work, so for the bodice, it was definitely a matter of following the instructions, but it all worked out.

Then, once you’ve got the bodice done, the layer upon layer of ruffles for the rest of the dress felt really quite mindful to sew!

The square neck is created by using elastic at the shoulders. Due to my transparent fabric, I decided to use a clear elastic, which worked well.

If you are sewing the Fibre Mood Trix, I would recommend that you attach the elastic to the back seam first. Then you can easily adjust the length of the elastic by pulling towards the front, which is much easier than if you do it the other way around and have to pull towards the back! I found that I needed much less elastic than the recommended amount in order to ensure that the dress doesn’t slip at the shoulders.

I also got a bit confused at the stage of joining the inner and outer sleeves together, so I made a small cuff and joined them in that way. It’s not visible at all, since the outer sleeve gets pulled a little upwards and inwards by the inner sleeve.

Once the bodice was done – which did actually come together without issues, despite the fact that I wasn’t always feeling confident, the rest of the dress felt like a piece of cake.

In fact, I have to say that the thing I found hardest with Fibre Mood Trix was deciding when to stop. I started intending to sew the maxi dress.

But, as I sewed, I realised that I liked it at all levels.

As a top, it was extremely cute. As in, waaaaayy cuter than I was expecting. I nearly decided to leave it like that. But I had all that silk cut out and I couldn’t let it go to waste.

So I kept going.

Then I liked it at midi-length too.

Then I made it maxi-length. And I kind of liked it super long buuuut, well, it also made me look a bit like a silk-swaddled swamp monster.

So, having gazed at photos of the dress, at each of it’s three levels, I decided to chop it off to midi length.

I actually contemplated turning it into a two piece top and skirt, so I could wear it as a “dress” look or as separates. But layers didn’t fall where they needed to, I would have had to alter the size of the top layer in the skirt to make it fall the way it needed to. It was do-able but required more effort than I was able to put into it at the time!

All in all, I find the Fibre Mood Trix a fun sew with a very dramatic and distinctive end result.

I don’t have anything else like this in my wardrobe and I’m happy I went big by sewing it in silk!!!

So don’t mind me, I’m just ruffling away…