My Alabama Chanin Bag

I have had quite a bit of fun planning my Alabama Chanin projects... Since I have owned Natalie's books for a couple of months, I have been poring over them and making lists of projects to make.
I started with a napkin to take to school, in the spirit of reusing things and reducing the usage of paper napkins. I keep the napkin in my drawer and bring it home from time to time to toss in the laundry. It is light pink with a gray border. Sorry no pix :(
The next project I picked was the tote bag because I wanted to practice the reverse applique technique. Here are a couple of pictures of the work in progress:

 I traced the stencil with permanent marker and stitched around the shapes with dark gray embroidery floss. I cheated a bit by using my own pattern for the tote- a folded over piece of fabric with square corners. I also used my brand new serger for the project...worked like a charm...

A close-up of the design

The final product

I finished the top with a topstitch- by hand, if you please- in dark gray embroidery floss. I did not split the thread, so the stitch makes more of a statement, while providing added support for the handles.

So, what have you been making lately?

November... Bags, Boas, and Light Dusting

It is hard to believe it is already November. October came and went very quickly.
The leather Zen Bag has been pretty popular this year, so when I found some gorgeous suede in chocolate and caramel at the leather store, I just had to try the Zen in suede.
The colors are great for fall and winter. I love the luxurious feel of the suede and the thickness of it too. The bags stand pretty much on their own.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/114343887/the-zen-bag-minimalist-suede-tote-in

https://www.etsy.com/listing/114344648/the-zen-bag-minimalist-suede-tote-in?ref=v1_other_1

Gorgeous, don't you think?

Back in September, I purchased three books by Natalie Chanin: Alabama Stitch Book, Alabama Studio Style, and Alabama Studio Sewing + Design. I just adore the simplicity of the looks, the easy patterns, the detailed explanations and the beautiful pictures. So far, I have made a bolero, an unadorned poncho, and I am currently working on two projects: a reverse applique poncho and a scarf- the Rag Boa.

The scarf-
The Rag Boa is from Natalie Chanin's first book,Alabama Stitch Book.
I am making it for a colleague and a friend  *S* who just had surgery to remove most of her pancreas, spleen and gallbladder, in addition to having just completed radiotherapy after breast cancer surgery.
Why a scarf, and a Rag Boa at that, you will ask? Well a couple of years ago, my friend S and I went to New Orleans for a teacher workshop. She had never been there and loved the city, the food, and the "laissez-les-bons-temps-rouler" attitude of the locals. We went into many gift shops and S purchased quite a few feather boas and gaudy plastic rings. You know, she said, when things get bad at school, we will lock ourselves in the principal's office, we will dress up with the boas and the rings, and I am sure it will make us feel better- at least laugh our heads off for a while... Stress relief...
I wanted to make something special for S, something that would remind her of happy times past and future, something that would feel like a hug, and something she could actually wear outside of the principal's office.
As I was perusing the Chanin book, my eyes fell upon the title: Rag Boa. Perfect! I chose pink and gray for the colors.

I was reading somewhere, perhaps in the book, that Natalie gave a similar boa to a friend who wears it and uses the end of it for dusting. It made me smile, I can so see S doing that.
My boa will serve several purposes: it will look pretty with almost anything, keep S warm, hopefully feel like a friend's hug, ....and keep the furniture clean.

Thank you Natalie, for your beautiful books, wonderful accessories, and for sharing them all with the rest of us.

Take care of yourselves-

Sewing clothes...

I love to sew.
I do.
I make a lot of bags.
I have even made clothes for myself: pajama pants I obviously only wear at home, Thai fisherman pants (ditto), and a lovely sleeveless dress from an Amy Butler pattern that is still on a hanger, waiting to be hemmed. OK, I make clothes for fun, just for me and I NEVER wear them in public- my family notwithstanding.
Well, this is about to change. I just discovered Natalie Chanin (www.alabamachanin.com). Our local public library carries her first two books: Alabama Stitch Book and Alabama Studio Style which I found by accident last week while looking for something else. The books include stitching, stenciling and sewing techniques to make cotton jersey clothing. I can't wait to start sewing :)

 


I also bought a book by Japanese designer Kyoko Sakauchi, with many simple cotton and linen designs. The only hiccup is that the book is in Japanese, so it will take a bit longer to figure out the explanations.
                                                 

The studio has been humming with activity, orders are coming in regularly- which I am SO thankful for. I finally figured out how to make the Juki work properly. For an industrial sewing machine, it is pretty fickle, and will misbehave if the stars are not perfectly aligned...
The Juki is perfect though for sewing many layers of fabric and leather too.

I would love to know if you have tried any of Chanin's techniques or Sakauchi's designs. Please leave a comment.