Friday, January 2, 2015

Testing Testing, 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . .

I have decided that the new year is the perfect time to get over my fear of working with knits.  And my love of hand sewing and the Alabama Chanin aesthetic is going to get me through it!


Last month I treated myself to Alabama Studio Sewing & Design and Natalie Chanin’s Craftsy class.  I think I would recommend the Craftsy class more than the book for construction and sewing help and advice.  The book is gorgeous and has many luscious pictures of hand stitching and beading; it will definitely get you excited about hand sewing, but will not hold your hand through each and every step.


There are a few patterns included with the book; I chose the skirt as a good place to start.  They are nested on regular bond paper and most are in two disjointed pieces.  This is not especially fun to work with, but since I only needed two of them (skirt front and skirt back) it was not too much trouble.  I ended up using some tracing paper and a tracing wheel to transfer the lines to easel paper.


Before I spend hours and hours on hand appliqué, however, I decided I needed to make up the skirt pattern in a plain knit fabric.  Last week, I ran into JoAnn Fabrics to get my hands on some cotton jersey.  Except they did not have any - all of the knits had a large polyester content.  Yuck.  I ended up with a cotton rib fabric with 1 or 2 percent spandex, I think.  It is not perfect, but has at least given me a chance to practice. 


The rib knit is, of course, a bit more stretchy than cotton jersey, but it has given me the courage to move forward with this knit fabric/hand appliqué adventure.


15 comments:

  1. Once you start you cannot stop! I too treated myself to the book and class (although I preferred the book) and have made 8 garments including the vintage Vogue 8875 coat. You'll just love the applique and beading.

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    1. I have seen some of your awesome designs - they were definitely motivation to get going with this project! I really can't wait to start on the applique!!

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  2. Do you know this blog: http://handmadebycarolyn.blogspot.nl/#uds-search-results
    Carolyn has experimented quite thoroughly with the Alabama Chanin stuff.

    Personally, I appreciate the craftsmanship but I'm really not sold on the look.

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    1. I just love Carolyn's work.

      And while some of the Alabama Chanin look is not quite my style, some of the longer, romantic pieces remind me of my Pre-Raphaelite obsession in high school.

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  3. I have the 3 Alabama Chanin books. I have not signed up for the class because I don't care for the jacket pattern for me. But I think I will since you like the class. I like the skirt, camisole/dress from the book and she is coming out with a new book soon on fitting.

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    1. Natalie's teaching style is really wonderful. I sometimes play the class of my phone while I am working in the sewing room just for some soothing background noise - it'a almost like having a sewing buddy working along with me.

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  4. The colour of that fabric is beautiful! Such an amazing blue!

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  5. I think you are going to love your new venture.

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  6. I have that book, too, but haven't taken the plunge. I love sewing with knits, though. I've found European organic cotton jersey on Etsy, though it's pricey. Good cotton jersey is hard to find!

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    1. I am lucky to live very close to Dharma Trading Co. - they have cotton jersey in white . . . and plenty of fabric dye!

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  7. I have two books and several skirts and camis! When I find t-shirts on sale (especially extra large size) I buy them to make more alabama clothing. I do it when I feel the urge to hand sew and decorate something. My daughter swims competitively so she gets tons of tshirts I use for her camis! I find this very relaxing

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  8. Well, cool! I've never heard of the book or the class, but I love to sew and embroider, so I can't wait to see what you do!

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  9. It's so surprisingly hard to find the right cotton knits for this! I bought a few from Mood, and even there none are just right. My mom bought a range of mens XXL long sleeved shirts from Sierra Trading Post and the corset and fitted tank I made from those are by far my favorites. I've just been making the patterns without a ton of embellishment so using fabric that's not ideal is not so important, but if and when I do a full stenciled project only the perfect cotton jersey will do!

    Anyway, I'm so excited to watch your journey with this. Your elegance combined with awesome handsewing skills is bound to make some stellar Alabama Chanin garments!

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    1. I was expecting cotton jersey to be a popular textile, but evidently it is not.

      I purchased a bunch of yardage from Dharma Trading in San Rafael and my next step is to dye some cut pieces. And then I get to the fun stuff . . . the hand sewing!!

      Thanks for the hint on the shirts. I will have to keep my eyes open.

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  10. What a pretty skirt. That blue color is so vibrant…gorgeous! There is no need to fear knits. After seeing your exquisite work on this blog, it will be a breeze for you. Knits are more forgiving than wovens and you will encounter fewer fitting issues (if you have any that is)! I look forward to seeing your creations.

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