When given the opportunity to write about Alabama Chanin and their newest book addition: Alabama Studio Sewing + Design: A Guide toHand-Sewing an Alabama Chanin Wardrobe, I jumped at the opportunity! I have long been a fan of Natalie Chanin’s hand-stitched sustainable style and of course the clothes and accessories are unbelievably stunning beyond words.

About five years ago, when my husband (then boyfriend) was working at Borders book store, I used to visit him at work and kill time by sifting through the craft book section. Often, I would thumb longingly through the original Alabama Stitch Book and dream of someday of being a skilled enough sewist to be able to execute such beautiful patterns. Finally, one day I bought the book to put in my “hope chest” of craft books for that day when I would finally attempt something so intricate and lovely. I’d pull it out occasionally and fantasize about accomplishing such feats.

What I love about Natalie Chanin’s designs is that they are so distinct and unique. You don’t see anything else like them on the market today, simply because of the fact that they are hand-stitched garments. No machine needed. Plus, if you make them yourself instead of purchasing one of their beautiful ready-made garments, you can’t beat that satisfaction of having made it yourself by hand. To me, anything that makes me feel like I've stepped into the Little House on the Prairie is good in my book!

When Natalie Chanin moved back to her home state- Alabama in 2000 to start a clothing line, she had no idea where it would end up. In the beginning, her company “Project Alabama” employed over 200 artisans in the Florence, Alabama area and sold clothing in shops all over the country. In 2006, Project Alabama ceased operations and Alabama Chanin was born. Alabama Chanin still uses the “Slow Design” process to create their heirloom quality ready-made pieces, and they are worth the wait. Additionally, Alabama Chanin is helping to keep these traditional crafting techniques alive and putting their own modern spin on them in the process. Natalie’s books serve as a guide to learning these techniques as well as inspiration for projects that are sure to be passed down for generations to come.

Although I have yet to actually attempt anything from the first book I bought (although I still have dreams of completing a Roses and Rooster Tablecloth), I have major plans for Alabama Studio Sewing + Design. What I love about this book is that it provides instruction for the most basic Alabama Chanin designs and clothing instruction, then goes into detail about the different stitches and techniques needed to sew the more complicated appliquéd and beaded designs. Personally, I love the simplicity of the basic designs and absolutely can’t wait to get started! Just ask Piet and Casey, with whom I share an office here at Jimmy Beans. All I can talk about as of late is how I want to make just about every garment in this book. Maybe when I am done with that, I’ll finally muster up the guts to try that gorgeous tablecloth.

Although I love almost every piece in the book, I think my first project will be this long skirt. I wear skirts most days of the week because they are comfortable and look good dressed up or down. Plus, I love wearing boots, and they look great with just about all of the boots I own. I guess that’s the westerner in me coming out. J In any case, this long skirt would be super comfy to wear year round and a good starting point for experimenting with Alabama Chanin’s garment construction techniques. I’ll be sure to post a picture when I finish as I am planning on starting this project soon. I am planning to use a cotton jersey bed sheet that I bought at a thrift store. Since Alabama Chanin is a big supporter of organic and recycled materials, I figured this would be a great way to repurpose fabric. You can also purchase gorgeous organic cotton jersey fabrics by the yard directly from the Alabama Chanin website.

Thanks so much for reading about Alabma Studio Sewing +Design! If you’d like to win a copy of this gorgeous book, please leave a comment telling a way you are keeping crafting traditions alive in your own life. We will choose a winner at random and announce the winner in next Wednesday’s blog post! You’ll have until 11pm (PST) on Tuesday, June 19^th to enter. Good luck!

Also, the winner of last week’s Noni book giveaway was Commenter #4- Debby who said: