Four ways to apply the Alabama Chanin techniques for mending and upcycling clothes.

Have you, like like me, planned on making an Alabama Chanin garment for years, collected the materials, but not quite got around to beginning?

Four ways to apply the Alabama Chanin techniques for mending and upcycling clothes.

Alabama-Chanin, Mola, Sticken, Mütze, Jersey, Upcycling

Alabama-Chanin, Mola, Sticken, Mütze, Jersey, Upcycling

Storm blue, twilight, black, navy, slate ~ this color palette spoke to me. I knew it would make a lovely, versatile garment; and I liked the idea of a new, longer skirt. I'm fairly short, so the mid-length skirt pattern from Alabama Chanin was perfect for a warmer, winter skirt in these most delicious colors. Earlier this year I set about making up seven "kits" to keep me stitching through the year and into 2019. You can read more about that here. I used Alabama Chanin 100% organic domestic cotton jersey fabric in storm blue and twilight. The stencil is Daisy. Coats and Clark button craft thread in slate and navy were used for sewing the running stitch and also for construction. I used embroidery floss for embellishing with the satin stitch, feather stitch and accent knots. I felled the outside facing seams open so that I could see more of the twilight color, making it almost like a stripe down the seams. At first I stitched tiny "x's" on the seams. I wasn't happy with the way that was looking, so I went back in and added another stitch to make them look more like snowflakes. It lends a slightly nordic feel to the garment. There are a variety of things going on with this skirt design, so I like the straight lines of the snowflakes and the parallel stitch used to attach the fold-over elastic waistband. Here is my method of attaching foldover elastic to the waistband. Put the elastic very snugly around your waist, add about 3/4", and cut. I've learned over the years to make the elastic more snug than loose. You don't want the elastic flopping over and your skirt constantly slipping down. I then put a pin about 3/4" from one end of the elastic: Fold the elastic in half at the 3/4" pin and put another pin there: Fold it into quarters and put a pin at each quarter. It will look like this. If your seams are equidistant, the pins will match up with each seam. Pin the elastic at each seam, overlapping the ending edge about 3/4". Next, fold the elastic over the raw edge of the waist so the raw edges of the fabric are snugged all the way up into the fold of the elastic. Stretch the elastic to fit the waist, easing each section, and pin. Baste the elastic onto the waistband and remove the pins. If you try to stitch the waistband on without basting and removing the pins, your thread will constantly catch on the pins and make the final stitching really frustrating. (Trust me!) Use a stretch stitch with a single strand of buttoncraft thread to secure the waistband. I used the parallel stitch. You might also try the cretan stitch or the rosebud stitch, among others. Take out your basting thread. I wanted this skirt to be thicker, heavier weight for warmer winter wear, so I used the reverse applique technique instead of negative reverse applique. You can see below, the right-hand side panel is stitched but not cut, and on the left-hand side the elements have been cut. I used a loose satin stitch, the feather stitch, and knots with tails to embellish this skirt. I wish the colors were more true on the screen, but my photos just don't do the rich colorway justice. It's beautiful and will match with so many things in my closet. On the photo above I've placed the seams differently than on the photo below. This skirt is very adaptable, and I know I'll get a lot of wear out of it all seasons of the year. Thanks for joining me here and reading my blog. I'd love to hear from you. If you ever have any questions, please reach out as I enjoy helping when I can.

I caught Bella in her newest jersey dress. This is the Alabama Chanin six-gore favorite, tweaked for Bella's preferred fit (custom bust ...

I made my first Alabama Chanin top four years ago and slowly but steadily I have been adding to my handmade collection. This time I made a m...

I made my first Alabama Chanin top four years ago and slowly but steadily I have been adding to my handmade collection. This time I made a matching top and skirt. I already blogged extensively about the process involved here and it includes some helpful info on materials used for the stencil and the sewing. For this post, I am highlighting the finished outfit with some pertinent details included. Here is a flatlay of the outfit. Front of the Top & Skirt Back of the Top & Skirt For this outfit, I layered two fabrics so I could use the reverse appliqué method. I used 100% organic cotton knit fabric purchased from Nina Chicago online store. The inner fabric is in camel and the outer fabric is called ruby red. This is the front of the top shown with stencil already painted on. Once again I used my favorite stencil, Anna's Garden. Here is a look at the stenciled front. I airbrushed it with Createx fabric paint in the color Pearlized Copper. For handstitching around the stenciled motifs, I used a variegated cotton thread. This is the Aurifil brand weight 12 in the color "Creme Brûlée" (no. 4150). This was my first time using this thread and of all the cotton threads I have used for my previous projects (that included Coats & Clark, Wawak and Alabama Chanin embroidery thread), I found this the easiest to work with. It hardly twisted and the texture is so smooth and silky! Photos of work in progress. The front of the top after all hand stitching was completed. The magic begins! Cutting out the center of the motifs. Two front skirt pieces with hand stitching completed. Back of the skirt after the center back seam was sewn. Magic begins on the skirt! And now the fun part--photos of the finished garments! Back view with center back seam. Front of the skirt has center back seam and waistline has 5/8" foldover elastic. 1-1/4" self fabric binding on cap sleeves. Sleeves are only made of one fabric layer. 1-1/4" binding on neckline. Skirt left unfinished. View of inside. In case you're wondering, those knots and threads don't really bother me when I'm wearing the garment! I really love how my outfit turned out! I cannot wait to begin another project!

After the 3 day workshop, Sew Kansas , Linda Lee offered a class on Alabama Chanin. The project was a scarf although some people opted to up...

In deze blogpost lees je hoe je de Alabama Chanin techniek kunt toepassen bij het upcyclen.

Sewing tutorials, sewing patterns, tools and designer fabrics - everything you need from acclaimed sewing guru, Linda Lee.

The uppermost (partial) circle spiral conceals the logo that was on the front of this thrifted T.

I've been wanting to post pictures for a while now. Here they finally are. This top is super comfortable and flatterin...

I have been bitten by the Alabama bug. Like many other similarly obsessed artisans, I have taken up my needle and thread and I am slowly sewing some tops out of recycled t-shirts. This new hand stitched clothing project began after I treated myself to the Alabama Studio Sewing & Design book. I have been wanting to purchase one (ALL) of the Alabama Stitch books for a while, but I could never decide on which one to get because I like all the patterns equally. The only reason I got the 3rd book instead of the first (I am DYING to make the corset) is because the third book looked to be the most comprehensive in terms of techniques. Well, about a week after I received the first book I ordered the Studio Style book because I decided I need to have those patterns also. So, with my start-itis in full swing I decided to make some comfy tank tops. One top is from the Sewing & Design book; CF & CB seam tank top and the other is from the Studio Style book: Princess seam tank top First, I went to Mood and splurged on some organic cotton yardage ($12/yard, 2 yards), then I got nervous about what to make with my precious organic cotton so I went to my local Salvation Army and bought about 15 t-shirts to recycle. ($.99 each!). I found that XL and XXL with no side seams and only small printed logos work the best to get the most salvageable material out of. 3XL!!!! SOOOOooooo much green cotton! Cutting the Pattern I cut off the sleeves at the seams, then snipped off the shoulder seams and the neck band. I traced off the patterns** onto oak tag because I know I will use them again and they are easy to trace around with tailors chalk. I have lots of heavy jars and containers in my sewing room that I use as weights. I was able to get the entire tunic out of this t-shirt... ...plus a bunch of pulls. Stenciling the Design I bought a little spray bottle at a local art supply store for a couple of bucks. It is especially meant for watercolor use, but to tell you the truth it is pretty generic. I will remember to save my next travel sized spray bottle. I also bought some Jacquard textile paint (it requires heat setting) but when I got home and went through my paint drawer I found that I already had a bunch of Createx paints that don't require heat setting. The spray bottle works well, but I when the paint level get's low it starts to sputter. I also had a hard time (I didn't test enough) getting the right water/paint ratio. The info is in the books, but I just didn't do a very good job following those instructions. It worked fine with more water than necessary, but my first stencil suffered from all the water and eventually started to disintigrate. I started out with an oak tag Rose stencil, but cutting it took FOREVER and it hurt my hand. When it started to fall apart I quickly decided that the (pricey) sheet of mylar (also purchased at the local art supply store) was probably worth taking the time to cut if only to have a sturdier stencil. I traced the stencil using a sharpie. Cutting it out sucked almost as much as cutting the oak tag, but this one will last longer. I used Scotch reposition-able spray mount to adhere the stencils to the fabric. It worked out pretty good. center front & back panels of the princess seam tank drying on a rack I started working on the princess seam tank first. This one is is going to be a negative applique with bright pink center and purple sides. (2 grey, 1 purple, 1 pink, large t-shirts). I'm using navy button craft thread. I wasn't able to avoid the logo on the back side panels because I didn't have a large enough grey t-shirt. I don't mind. It reminds me that these are reclaimed materials. I've made good progress in the last week. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to cut out the leaves as well. I'm thinking yes, and I'll probably add beads as well. I knew I had these beads for a reason. The green top will be a single layer with embroidery and probably beading as well. center seam tunic That's about it as of today. I hope to post more progress and finished pics, but don't hold your breath. ** The Sewing and Design patterns don't indicate wish seam is the center fron and back!!! As a fashion person I find this MADDENING!!! The only way I can even guess is to look at the shoulder seams. In theory the slant should tell me which side is center.

Storm blue, twilight, black, navy, slate ~ this color palette spoke to me. I knew it would make a lovely, versatile garment; and I liked the idea of a new, longer skirt. I'm fairly short, so the mid-length skirt pattern from Alabama Chanin was perfect for a warmer, winter skirt in these most delicious colors. Earlier this year I set about making up seven "kits" to keep me stitching through the year and into 2019. You can read more about that here. I used Alabama Chanin 100% organic domestic cotton jersey fabric in storm blue and twilight. The stencil is Daisy. Coats and Clark button craft thread in slate and navy were used for sewing the running stitch and also for construction. I used embroidery floss for embellishing with the satin stitch, feather stitch and accent knots. I felled the outside facing seams open so that I could see more of the twilight color, making it almost like a stripe down the seams. At first I stitched tiny "x's" on the seams. I wasn't happy with the way that was looking, so I went back in and added another stitch to make them look more like snowflakes. It lends a slightly nordic feel to the garment. There are a variety of things going on with this skirt design, so I like the straight lines of the snowflakes and the parallel stitch used to attach the fold-over elastic waistband. Here is my method of attaching foldover elastic to the waistband. Put the elastic very snugly around your waist, add about 3/4", and cut. I've learned over the years to make the elastic more snug than loose. You don't want the elastic flopping over and your skirt constantly slipping down. I then put a pin about 3/4" from one end of the elastic: Fold the elastic in half at the 3/4" pin and put another pin there: Fold it into quarters and put a pin at each quarter. It will look like this. If your seams are equidistant, the pins will match up with each seam. Pin the elastic at each seam, overlapping the ending edge about 3/4". Next, fold the elastic over the raw edge of the waist so the raw edges of the fabric are snugged all the way up into the fold of the elastic. Stretch the elastic to fit the waist, easing each section, and pin. Baste the elastic onto the waistband and remove the pins. If you try to stitch the waistband on without basting and removing the pins, your thread will constantly catch on the pins and make the final stitching really frustrating. (Trust me!) Use a stretch stitch with a single strand of buttoncraft thread to secure the waistband. I used the parallel stitch. You might also try the cretan stitch or the rosebud stitch, among others. Take out your basting thread. I wanted this skirt to be thicker, heavier weight for warmer winter wear, so I used the reverse applique technique instead of negative reverse applique. You can see below, the right-hand side panel is stitched but not cut, and on the left-hand side the elements have been cut. I used a loose satin stitch, the feather stitch, and knots with tails to embellish this skirt. I wish the colors were more true on the screen, but my photos just don't do the rich colorway justice. It's beautiful and will match with so many things in my closet. On the photo above I've placed the seams differently than on the photo below. This skirt is very adaptable, and I know I'll get a lot of wear out of it all seasons of the year. Thanks for joining me here and reading my blog. I'd love to hear from you. If you ever have any questions, please reach out as I enjoy helping when I can.

You can buy stencils for your hand-sewing projects or you can learn to make your own. A blog reader recently asked about my stencil making process and I outline it here. Supplies needed: Microsoft Publisher 2 Sheets of 12in. x 18in. Pennant Felt (Can be bought at hobby and craft stores for about $1) This will give you a stencil 24in x 32in in size. Stencil image or text of your choosing. If you are unsure of the suitability of your image, print it first and cut the areas to be removed from just the paper. The cut area will be your painted area. Spray Adhesive Sharp Blade (a rounded tip blade works best, but a straight edge works as well) Sewing Machine Rotary Cutting Mat Sew your felt pieces together At your machine, align the 2 long sides of your felt together and sew using a zig-zag stitch. Practice and adjust the stitch width until it is wide enough to secure both sides of the felt. Sew twice. Felt sheets joined using a zigzag stitch Stitched Felt and stencil image Prepare your artwork Open a new Publisher document and choose a custom page size. Adjust the width to 32in and the height to 24in. Insert your saved picture and enlarge it to fill the page dimensions. Check the "Print Preview" to see that the image does not go completely to the edge of the page. You want about .5in- 1 in. along the entire image. Go to your "Print Preview" under "File". You will want to print a "Tiled" picture. Adjust the overlap down to 0.000 (there will still be a little there). Print your image, in fast draft and black and white, you do not need a high quality color image here. Lay the sheets out and trim the overlap area away on the sheet which will be on top. In this image, you will trim the left overlap on the right sheet. Tape sheets together and repeat until you have the entire poster joined. You will want your completed stencil to have an uncut border with no shapes. If you have shapes that will extend over the edge do not cut those. Use a marking tool to draw around the shapes you will not cut. Use spray adhesive to secure the image to the top of the felt. Use your Rotary mat as a base and cut out the shapes using a sharp blade. This is a time consuming and at times a tedious process. It is well worth the effort for a stencil you can use again and again and will not break the bank. My cutting tools Almost done! Once you are done cutting, examine your shapes to check that you removed all of the felt from your cutting area. Look to the bottom of the point below. There is a bit of felt still left. Trim it away. Double Check Cuts Trim shape as needed. Double check your stitching and resew, if needed. I suggest you hand sew areas that need it and not use your machine. Remember your stencil still has the residue from the spray adhesive (Laura asked a great question in the comments below, check it out)! I did not need to resew any areas on this stencil. If you use an image with smaller shapes, it may be necessary. All done! Here is my completed $2 stencil next to my purchased $60+ stencil! (Never throwing my money away like that again!) My completed stencil! I am now ready to get painting! I hope you found this helpful! Update: The stencils illustrated here are Alabama Chanin. This post was written when I supported the company. You can read here why I no longer do here. This post is popular and the information is useful for making any stencil you wish, go make something pretty. :) Happy Sewing, Bianca

Recently I reviewed the great new book by Natalie Chanin, Alabama Studio Style, which got…

An elementary art teacher blog with art projects and lessons, DIY projects and outfit photos as well as clothing I have made myself.

I made an embellished Alabama Chanin A-line top a few years ago. I really like how the upper portion of the shirt fit, but there was just too much fabric in the lower half. I know, flowy is the nature of an A-line top is; right? But on my short frame flowy is okay; swimming is not! I've since made a basic, single layered, slightly modified top. At the hem, I cut out about 8" on each side, gradually easing that up to the rib line. I used lightweight jersey, so the fit and drape are very nice. I decided to make another embellished top using the upper portion of the pattern, drastically reducing the lower portion, and shortening the length too. The resulting shirt really does not resemble an A-line at all. It feels more like an old comfy pullover to me. I used mid weight black jersey for the under layer and navy on top; gray paint with the paisley stencil, and variegated embroidery floss. I didn't have enough navy fabric for the sleeves. I used the gray paint to stencil the one layer of black fabric for the sleeves, and ran a line of stitching just inside the stenciled area. I used a Sharpie pen to stencil some extra elements onto the scraps of navy, and appliqued those onto the black sleeves, thus tying the color scheme together. I've been wanting to have a go at Shashiko stitching, so I did that around the larger circles on the paisley pattern on the body and the sleeves. I didn't have proper Shashiko thread, so I used DMC embroidery floss. I really like the extra touch of stitching on this garment. I'm waiting for some books on Shashiko stitching. I think once I learn a little more about it, I just might have to add to this top in the future. Have you tried Shashiko? Any tips you want to pass along?

Модная одежда и дизайн интерьера своими руками

True Confessions: I've lived within just two hours of the amazing Alabama Chanin and I had never ever been. If you are not familiar, let me just say that you might want to read here to get yourself super informed. But I can provide the condensed version, if you like: Alabama Chanin is the creation of Natalie Chanin a Florence, Alabama native. Florence is a rural town of about 40,000 near the Northwest corner of Alabama, lodged between Mississippi and Tennessee. For years, Natalie was a stylist and costume designer who traveled the world. In the early 2000's, Natalie returned to her home of Florence with the intention of creating a line of hand-stitched garments. During that time, she was connected with many people who used to work in Florence during the textile boom in the 80's. Many of those folks were without employment as jobs had moved South of the border. This inspired her to create a place for people to work, create, dine, design...you name it. And that magical place is called Alabama Chanin. I decided to give Alabama Chanin a visit after taking a road trip from Nashville to Tupelo to see my favorite friend, Mallory. Mallory runs a wonderful art program for kids that I had the pleasure of teaching one day. More on that to come. Between the drive from Nash to Tupe is Florence, right smack dap in the middle. I knew I would have to drop by and see what it was all about. Let me just say, that when I was listening to good ole Siri for directions, I thought I was being lead astray. I found myself in an unassuming industrial park filled with nondescript metal buildings. After telling me "you have arrived" five times as I drove up and down the deserted road, I happened to look to my left and see a little read awning with the words Alabama Chanin, The Factory written on them. Really? This is it? I almost turned around. I'm so glad I did not! The moment I walked in, two things happened. The first was that I was greeted so graciously and politely. I know what you are thinking: but of course, Southern hospitality! Lemme just say, I've lived in The South for nearly 20 years...Southern hospitality isn't as common as you'd like to think. However, in this place, I was warmly greeted and made to feel completely at home. The second thing I noticed is this: the place was AMAZING. It used to house a textile factory (how appropriate, right) and looked every bit as such from the outside. But, once inside, it was like I was in Andy Warhol's The Factory meets Brooklyn-hip Heaven. The concept was an open one with the beautiful Alabama Chanin clothing on display. Just beyond that were carefully curated items such as pottery, printed dishtowels and table runners as well as cookbooks and aprons. Steps past that was a counter service restaurant with, I cannot stress this enough, The Best food I've had in a very, very long time. There was also a bridal dress area and a work station for classes. And that was just in the front room. The designing, creating and manufacturing happened just beyond the walls of the space you see in the second image. Of course, what first drew me in: the garments. Natalie is a pioneer in the slow design movement. This is in stark contrast to the fast-fashion we know of all too well. Her garments are created from start to finish from organic cotton. They are hand-dyed with organic dyes; printed, painted and/or stamped and hand sewn. Natalie employes those in her community. Those left without jobs when fast fashion took jobs to other places. What that means is you are looking at a piece of clothing that was created from beginning to end, from the ground (literally) up, by hand. What that also means is Alabama Chanin clothing is anything but cheap both in quality and price. I am not even going to lie to you, I was shocked by the prices on the pieces of clothing. We're talking into the hundreds if not a thousand or more for the bigger garments like coats. But look. By hand, y'all. Every stitch. Every piece painted and sewn and cut away. All by hand. Each piece, a work of art. Here's my favorite part about Alabama Chanin and Natalie: she shares her craft with all who are interested. Meaning she's not an artist who safeguards her secrets. She has her roots based in the quilt making traditions of the South. Traditions that have been lost over time. It seems her goal is to bring the teaching of those traditions back. And she starts with those in her community. But she also reaches beyond with the many books that she has written on the tradition of her craft and the art of stitching as well. As I was there, poking around, snapping endless photos, my stomach started to growl. It was not my intention to do anything beyond pop in for a bit before heading home but with a talking tummy and the amazing smells coming from the cafe, I decided to stay. After I placed my order at the counter, I wandered in the direction of these laughing ladies to secretly see what they were up to. I had read that every other Tuesday a sewing group met and I was intrigued by what they were creating...but I did not want to intrude on what looked to be a fine and fun party. Immediately after snapping this photo, the women grabbed me and drew me in. A sweet woman named Judy introduced me to everyone and had them show me what they were creating. I found that my new friend Rita, shown here with the skirt she's been working on for many a Tuesday, actually lives near me...and makes the two hour trek every other week to spend time stitching with her friends. Isn't her piece beautiful? This fitted corset style top is one being created for the daughter of this lovely lady. One thing I learned: never ask how long these ladies have been working on their piece. It's a labor of love...the hours spent do not count. Would you believe those sweet ladies invited me to bring my lunch over and dine with them? I had a wonderful hour of chatting, learning and watching them create. Before leaving, I headed over to the hand stitched bridal area. I was told that one woman had already made three trips from Maine for dress fittings. Can you imagine? That is going to be one amazing dress, y'all! I immediately fell in love with this area. Look at this hand stamped and stitched treasure. In our mass produced, fast paced world, learning about slow design and seeing the beauty of it was truly inspiring. So much so that I signed up for a class right there on the spot! I'm taking the beginner hand sewing, stamping and applique class. I'm thrilled to learn this technique and bring it back to my students. I'll be sure to share with you here as well! Here's a view of the left side of The Factory from the entrance. And a view from the very back, looking over the tables in the cafe and the store front. The food was so good that folks were coming in from outside to dine. I mean, for real. I don't even cook and I was asking if they sold a cookbook. I get a meal during my class...and I daresay that might be what I'm looking forward to the most! Until I report back with my adventures at Alabama Chanin, I leave you with a view of this piece being worked on my one of the sweet ladies I lunched with. I am so excited to go back and learn about this beautiful technique!

Close up

Natalie Chanin has just released her fourth book of inspiring and beautiful sewing projects in her 'Alabama Chanin' style. (On order...

Ich bin in dieser Woche sehr mit der Ausstellung am kommenden Wochenende beschäftigt. Zum Nähen an der Maschine komme ich natürlich nicht, aber abends stichel ich wenigstens ein bisschen mit der Hand, damit die Sampler Decke noch fertig wird. Hier zeige ich die 4 verschiedenen Techniken der Blätterschablone. - I have been very busy with the upcoming quilt show and no time for the sewing machine . At least at night I do some stitching by hand to finish my sampler in time for the show. Here I show you 4 techniques that I used with the leaves stencil. revers Applikation, blau auf schwarz, weiße Textilfarbe, gelbes Stickgarn - revers applique,- denim blue on black, white textile paint, yellow thread couching, white strips, white thread - revers applique and couching revers applique Bis bald ,

This is the simple six-gore tank dress from Alabama Studio Style . Made up in Alabama Chanin cotton jersey in a single layer. The ...

Took a few minutes on Monday evening to paint the sleeves for this wrap top. I'd cut out the grey layer last spring, but couldn't settle on a second color until I realized I had just enough pink leftover from...

Ich bin in dieser Woche sehr mit der Ausstellung am kommenden Wochenende beschäftigt. Zum Nähen an der Maschine komme ich natürlich nicht, aber abends stichel ich wenigstens ein bisschen mit der Hand, damit die Sampler Decke noch fertig wird. Hier zeige ich die 4 verschiedenen Techniken der Blätterschablone. - I have been very busy with the upcoming quilt show and no time for the sewing machine . At least at night I do some stitching by hand to finish my sampler in time for the show. Here I show you 4 techniques that I used with the leaves stencil. revers Applikation, blau auf schwarz, weiße Textilfarbe, gelbes Stickgarn - revers applique,- denim blue on black, white textile paint, yellow thread couching, white strips, white thread - revers applique and couching revers applique Bis bald ,

A Verb For Keeping Warm in Oakland, California recently had a trunk show where we went to try on the various different garments and consider what our next sewing projects would be. There were a lot of beautiful garments there as well as sample fabrics in different colors with different treatments on them either with or without beads. It took some time for use to check them all out. Good that my kids are so fascinated by the ping pong balls they have at the shop, and good that the shop is so kid-friendly. I think the only person who was really bored silly was my DH, but he did some web surfing on his phone so he survived and smiled at me with that smile that says he's glad I'm having so much fun. Some additional photos for your enjoyment below. I have not started a huge Alabama Chanin garment project, but I would like to soon before the weather gets too cool for the air brush paint to dry quickly. I think warm weather really is best for the painting work. Enjoy the bonus images, captions are below the related photo. One of the sample fabrics with black beads on it. So many beads, very beautiful. Another sample fabric with both beads and reverse applique. These beads were brown on dark grey fabric and looked pretty. Another sample fabric with reverse applique and knots on top. You can see the beautiful shop in the background. This is my charming friend Marianne modeling some of the sample garments. She is even more sweet and lovely than she is beautiful. Always more fun to shop with a good friend. Here is another sample fabric with embroidery and beads. White on white. Stunning. Another sample piece. It had both embroidery and beads. LOTS of beads! This is my DH. See the smile? I know I'm biased but I find him so hunky-handsome sitting in a quilting/knitting shop. He may be thinking he'd rather had his teeth cleaned. Another sample fabric with beads, reverse applique and embroidery. This was one of the more complex pieces. Sample fabric with reverse applique and heavy clusters of beads inside of the cut out applique. On a different trip we visited Heath Ceramics in San Francisco. This is an Alabama Chanin flag that was hanging there. So very stunning. All shades of blue. Out of this world beautiful. Lots of hand work, reverse applique. This is another piece that was at Heath. Sampler quilt with many different treatments including some beads. Beautiful and also for sale! A photo of the Alabama Chanin plates at Heath along with the books that I have and highly recommend. I would love to have a set of these plates. They are hand etched, so more costly than the other Heath plates. Time to save up your lunch money.

Yippee! I’ve been working on this Alabama Chanin jacket and skirt since April. They weren’t on my SWAP list but looked like a great challenge. I was inspired by the prolific Ruth at …

Love this teeshirt so soft but it has a grease spot & I can't get rid of it. Made my stencil, & started sewing. I have her books & taking the class on Craftsy.

Recently I reviewed the great new book by Natalie Chanin, Alabama Studio Style, which got…

Four ways to apply the Alabama Chanin techniques for mending and upcycling clothes.

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Babydoll dress, bodice made from fitted top pattern from Alabama Chanin book Studio Sewing + Design. Fabric Alabama Chanin medium weight cotton jersey, dark grey. The three self-fabric stripes, attached with feather stitch, are not solely decorative -- they add weight to the hem and allow it to stand away from the body a bit. This is my first completed garment for SWAP 2014.