Alabama Studio Sewing + Design: A Guide to Hand-Sewing an Alabama Chanin Wardrobe

The author of this book and others has been designing clothes for women that use techniques employed prior to the time when home sewing machines were available, so it is a modern take on early clothing design and embellishment. Vogue Magazine recently discovered her after she has been creating for at least the past 20 years. Her work is fascinating for anyone who loves to sew.

I have all three Alabama Chanin books and love them all, but I must say this is my favorite! I can't believe how generous Natalie Chanin is with sharing her techniques, and the sample photos are really wonderful. So far I have made 2 t-shirts, a fitted tank top and two boleros. While the neckline of the tank was too low for me and I had to raise it, I love the cut of her patterns. The t shirts are so graceful with the slighly curved hems. Very flattering.In addition to the above items I have made from scratch from an old cotton jersey t-shirt sheet, I have also started to revamp some of my existing clothes. For example, I took an oversized frumpy old maternity t-shirt I set aside about 5 years ago, laid one of my A.C. t-shirts on top of it, traced it, re-sewed along those lines, and then added some appliques cut from another t-shirt I had unsuccessfully tried to alter back in my ill-advised days of following the instructions in the Generation T book. (Not saying Generation T is a bad book, but being almost 40, the styles are not appropriate for me, and I needed something a bit more refined.) From these two depressing old rag bag t-shirts, I made what is now one of my very favorite shirts. Similarly, I had a Coldwater Creek shirt I bought online, and the very first time I wore it, one of the seams developed a hole, right in the front of the shirt! They had no more in stock, and I didn't want to hassle with a return, so into the "to be altered" pile it went. Luckily, the shirt had two layers of fabric on the front, so I was able to do some reverse-applique using a stencil from the book. I just finished it a couple of days ago, and I can't wait to wear it. Another garment rescued from the rag bag. It feels like magic to make beautiful and functional from something that had been too ugly and ill-fitting to even wear as pajamas. It's like making something from nothing.I have read some reviews that complain that the sizes run too small in these books. I will say I border on regular sizes and plus sizes, and the XL in the book is just barely too small for me. I have to alter the patterns a little, but I just do it when I trace the patterns off, and so far have had luck. But even for a person who is much larger than this, you can either apply the embellishment techniques to existing garments that fit you, as I have, or just find a simple sewing pattern for knits from one of the big pattern companies, which often go on sale for 99 cents each at places like JoAnn Fabrics. Use a plus-size pattern with clean lines and simple construction, similar to the patterns in the book, and I'm sure the results would be great. Don't feel like you can't profit from this book just because you are a plus size lady, because there are lots of ways to customize the techniques to suit you.A great source for material is cotton jersey sheet sets. Also, at thrift stores, I can very often find large plus-size cotton jersey dresses, often made of very high-quality fabric, which I can cut apart and use to sew smaller garments from the patterns in the book. Someday I'd love to splurge on the gorgeous organic cotton yardage they sell at Alabama Chanin, but that's not in the cards for me right now.It's a very accessible book, and great to use as a jumping-off point for your own designs and ideas. I think that's the whole point of it. Take Natalie Chanin's advice, and then run with it to make your own creations.

I waited eagerly to get this book. I have the first Alabama Stitch book and love it - the second one I thought didn't have anything to add, so I passed on it - but I anticipated this would be more useful. And it is. Sort of. There are a lot of needlework instructions that are very good - in fact, all the instructions are very good. The ideas for garments are gorgeous. The book is gorgeous. Alas, I am not thin and every piece of clothing but the poncho and hat are ONLY for the thin. The only garment I could possible wear in the book is the hat - and I looked at the pattern sheets 5 times and couldn't find the pattern - have no clue where it is. So even that is not possible.The other drawback is that many, many of the ideas and instructions include beading. Now, I don't know if you've ever tried to bead a garment - it's a whole different thing than stringing a few beads for a necklace. It's painstaking, long, hard, and "fiddly" work. Worth it, if you don't mind spending 2 months making a garment, but it depends upon what sort of life you are leading. I live in a casual environment and would wear a garment with beading maybe once or twice a year. Not worth it at all. There are other techniques that are extremely attractive and even a couple - using the strings made from cutting and stretching strips of knit - that are unique. However, a good old how-to embroidery book will give you most of the stitches. And every craft store from small to large is full of stencils at this point - stencils as nice as the ones in the book, and already cut out and ready to use. The stencils in the book are great - but wait until you try to cut them out with a craft knife - hours and hours.As eye candy, you can't do better than this book. It's delightful to look at. It's fun to imagine making the clothes. However, I have so many books on my shelf that are "delightful to look at" that it's bending in the middle. If I could use even one of the garments, I would keep the book. Honestly, this book is beguiling. However, I can't - I have a bosom, I have hips, I have a stomach - and that eliminates the dresses, the skirts, and the shirts - and that's all there is . Okay, so maybe the poncho - but that isn't really a pattern - it's just folding a rectangle and instructions for doing that are all over the internet.So, after anticipating this book for weeks, I am sadly returning it. Incidentally, I made a tee shirt for myself using the techniques in the first book - but making it to fit my figure - and it is stunning. I will make more - and the first book will provide everything I need to know to make an entire wardrobe that will fit and look good.I want to stress that this is a great book if you fit into the mold - which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 3. Normally, for a book that is aimed specifically at one body type, I would go with 3 or fewer, but have to say as eye candy, you'd go a long way to do better.

This book is well put together and takes you through almost a complete wardrobe of garments from an ordinary T-shirts to a tiered skirt, together with a few lovely accessories such as a wrap. One master pattern alone gives you seven possible variants. Better still, she shows you how to mix and match the garments and how quite small design elements can lift the plainest clothing. For example, in the long version of the T-shirt, she adds a few stitched horizontal bands which makes it look elegant and unusual. She also gives different ways of these bands to bind or decorate your project to help you create something unique. What is very useful is how she takes a design element from one of her stencils and shows you that element with different treatments and different levels of complexity.The patterns are multi-sized, top size 16 and would be very easy to grade up if necessary. Construction could not be easier - no darting, facings, plackets, zips, etcetera - a novice would have little difficulty making up the basic garments. There is nothing to stop you sewing the major seams on the machine if you find all the hand-stitching too daunting, leaving more time for the beautiful design elements for which Natalie Chanin is justly famed. The pattern sheet is fixed to the back of the book so you cannot lose it, a nice touch. All you need do is trace off your own size.I love this book and it has hardly been on the shelf in the week since I bought it.

Just a beautiful book full of handmade 'lovely-ness' and inspiration.Alabama shines from the pages, hazy and sunny, warm as the just cooked food in the recipes and inviting as sitting on your grandma's knee for cuddle!There is no shortage of well written descriptions of the methods, materials and techniques used to create the wonderful fashion in this book.Jersey cotton has been given a new and wonderful twist from the usual T shirt even a special occasion can be graced with what is usually considered a easy-wear fabric.I have tried out a few of the things and have always received compliments for the tops and skirt I made. They were easy and interesting to make and great to sew on long winter nights ready for the Summer.

I love this book - I'm so glad I ordered it. It's well worth the money, with so much detail and lots of photographs about the whole process used to produce a garment. There are also free patterns and guidance on making them, which was my main reason for plumping for this particular book, as there's no way I could afford to buy the finished article from them. It's everything I hoped it would be and more, and I'd highly recommend it to any fans of of their garment styles or even people just wanting to add to their sewing skills. It arrived reasonably quickly and was in good condition with nothing missing so I'd recommend the seller too.

This book inspired me to make a skirt using the Alabama Chanin technique. I did all the decorative stitching by handled with two strands of topstitching thread. I'll probably sew the seams together with my sewing machine, for durability. There are lots more beautiful examples of this technique on the Internet and I'm tempted to start on another one soon.

Comprehensive book where Natalie explains the ethos behind here designs, provides details on materials, patterns, construction and embellishments. There are patterns and stencils included for hat, wrap, vest, t-shirt, tunic, dresses, skirts etc that can be traced/copied and then enlarged. I'm so pleased that I will probably buy her other two books as well