Recipe for an Alabama Chanin Dress

Good Morning Everyone!

It's great to be back!  Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July and that all your summer days have been filled with warmth, happiness, and very sunny days!  I've been pretty busy with all those events that can take up one's time during the summer time... family functions, gatherings with friends, and preoccupying restless children; however, I have made time for my favorite occupation... SEWING!  So although I was away from the blog for a time I was still working away.

My latest project is truly a labor of love.  I recently discovered the couture clothing and DIY movement that is Alabama Chanin.  If you've never heard of the company it was started by costume designer Natalie Chanin, over ten years ago, based on sustainable principles.  From the materials and construction techniques to the employees, all have a fundamental purpose in creating endurance.  Ms. Chanin houses her company in a defunct t-shirt factory in Alabama and contracts local quilting artisans who used to work in the t-shirt industry.  To create one of her pieces it might take an employee eight weeks to complete because the entire outfit is constructed by hand!!!!  Not only does she sell ready made clothing, but she also encourages crafters to make their own clothing based on her designs.  Let me tell you,  it's a MUCH cheaper alternative than actually buying her clothing when one of her pieces can cost over $5, 000!!!!  I don't know about you but I'll take doing it myself any day...

After reading Ms. Chanin's book Alabama Studio Sewing + Design: A Guide to Hand-Sewing an Alabama Chanin Wardrobe, I decided to attempt the long fitted dress.  Seen in the picture below this is actually an example of how the couture line layers individual pieces to achieve an absolutely sumptuous  baroque look.

I am taking a less ambitious route but as you can see Alabama is a perfect marriage between sewing clothing and quilting.  How could I possibly pass this opportunity up?

In order to undertake such a project you must follow several steps and take your time, especially if you wish to do any applique or reverse applique.

Step 1: use 100% cotton jersey fabric.  Alabama Chanin uses 100% organic cotton jersey that you can purchase from their website.  I used Mood Fabrics.  Not only did they have a very large selection but their prices are very reasonable.

Step 2: use Coats and Clarks Craft & Button hand-sewing thread.  It comes in limited colors and although you can get it from Alabama you can also get it at Joanne Fabrics or Michael's for $1.99 per spool.

Step 3: gather your stenciling materials.  This is where things get tricky!  In order to do any applique, reverse applique, or embroidery you have to transfer your design onto your fabric and the only way to really do that is to create a really big stencil.  Alabama recommends making the stencil out of pennant felt (which is a stiff somewhat thick felt).  I suggest you spend the money and get the felt from Alabama.  It's about $17 yd and it will save you the headache of trying to find it elsewhere, which is pretty hard to do.  This is the stencil I created...

As you can see it is well used!  It may not look like it but this stencil is very large.  Almost the length of a full length dress.  In order to create this I downloaded a free pattern from Alabama (they are available on the website and in the book) and had it printed full size at a printing shop.  I used a spay adhesive to attach the pattern to the felt and then I began to cut away using a craft knife.  All I'll say is... it takes a minute...

Step 4: use fabric paint to transfer the pattern onto fabric.  Alabama suggests airbrushing or a squirt bottle.  I used Martha Stewart and next time I'm going to use a squirt bottle!  Martha is cute but completely impractical.  

Pictured above is Martha's spray paint kit.  It turns any one of her paints into spray paint.  Great idea but when the canister runs out there's no way to replace just the canister.  You have to buy the whole kit all over again!  Absolutely stupid!  However, I will say I like her range of colors and will continue to use them with a squirt bottle.  You can find Martha Stewart paints at Michael's.

here's what the stenciled fabric looks like once it's dry

Let the paint set for 24 hours or more then heat set the design with a press cloth soaked in white vinegar.  Make sure to use an iron for craft projects only and you may actually have to replace the lining for your ironing board.  Vinegar is really coercive!

Step 5: layer your fabric and begin to stitch.  I'm not going to get into it here but Ms. Chanin has an entire philosophy about sewing from how to thread your needle to how to make your knots!  She talks about it in her book or you can go to Creativebug. com and download her instructional video for a small fee.  It is worth it!  Once you've made your design decisions (applique, beading, embroidery, etc...)  here's what it might start to look like.

The images above are of the first panel to the four paneled fitted long dress.  I'm almost done with the first and I have three more to go.  Boy is it a lot of work but I can't tell you how much fun it is!!!!

Till next time!

The Urban Alphabet Project

Good Morning and happy Friday!  TGIF!!!!!!  Ever since I started working again I'm SO glad when Friday comes.  Not only does it mean I get to spend quality time with my family but I also get to stay up late sewing, which is next to impossible to do during the week days when you have to be to work by 7:30 am everyday.  Needless to say, it's been a little hard to keep my momentum going during the week because after I put my son to bed I only have a couple of hours to work on a project.  There are many nights when all I do is crash on the couch and pass out!  Despite the slow down I'm still moving forward and have several projects on the horizon, including several clothing projects.

STAY TUNE...

This week I want to talk about a project I was commissioned to do for my best friend Liz.  When she was pregnant with her third daughter I wanted to get something nice for the new baby.  I realized I had never made anything for Liz or her family!  Actually that's not really true.  The truth is, a quilt I was making for her daughters eventually turned into a UFO (unfinished object).  Now, I have every intention of finishing that quilt... but... in the meantime I made a couple of very cute oneies for the new baby.  I used patterns from Sublime Stitching and they looked something like this:

This was my son when he was a wee little one!

I used these patterns several times and I've never been disappointed and Liz really liked them too; however, when she recently commissioned me to make several oneies for her sister, I thought I would try something a little different...

I'm beginning to realize I'm pretty preoccupied with illustrated alphabets.  I'm currently working on an alphabet banner for my son, the UFO I was making for Liz's kids was an alphabet red work quilt, and I'm constantly thinking of new ideas.  One in particular came in handy for Liz's baby gift.  For some time now I've wanted to develop my own line of embroidery patterns which included a "urban" alphabet.  Liz's gift gave me the opportunity to test out some new designs.  I was pretty happy with the way they turned out.

What do you think?

This is called the "drizzle" stitch.

a... is for afro

b... is for building

c... is for cab


To transfer the designs I used the same process from the name tag and cathedral windows projects.  In order to achieve fine detail I used a size 12 pearl cotton and for less detailed work I used a size 8.  My friend loved what I did for her so much that she and her husband had a brainstorming session to think up new letters.  Out of all the ideas they threw at me I loved "m... is for manhole" the most!  Nothing says urban living like steamy vapor forcing its way from the depths beneath a city to an early frosty morning.  Only the manhole cover keeps whatever is brewing at bay.

I will soon be making these and other patterns available for sale.  So make sure you keep it on your radar!!!!  Have a good weekend

Going Away Gift #3...

When making a gift for someone, I try to really think of the person and what might be meaningful to them. For Kim, I had to really think about what might be something special. She can make so many things on her own so I wanted to make something that isn't one of her specialities. Also, I know she loves her sweet boy and he is so cute and photogenic. Since she isn't a scrapbook-er, I decided I would make a small book for her pics of that cute boy! 

As a general rule for me, I am not a "fancy" scrapper. My layouts are usually simple and mostly highlight the pictures. As a daughter of a photographer, I don't want the pages to take away and distract from the photos but rather to draw attention to them. Also, if you are going to spend so much time working on the scrapbooks that they never get done, then the photos stay in a box or on a computer somewhere and aren't readily available to be enjoyed. 

These are the pages that I did for Kim: 

I did all of the photo mats @ 4 1/4" x 6 1/4" and gave her a dispenser of scrapbooking adhesive so that all she has to do is print her photos and pop them in the book.

It was a fun project to put together and also another fun gift to give away!

Going Away Gift #2...

Isn't this a lovely picture? This is the quilt I made for my friend Bonnie as a going away gift. She took this picture in her garden last week. This was a fun pattern that went together quickly using a Moda Jelly Roll. 

I use a Bailey's Home Quilter and a Grace Quilting frame to do my machine quilting on all of my quilts that are larger than baby/crib size. It has worked well for me. I'm not an award-winning machine quilter, by any means, but I enjoy the whole process. This setup has allowed me to save some money by being able to quilt them myself and also I don't have to wait for my quilts to come back from being sent away to a quilter. I would love to have a Gamill someday but I can't justify the cost at this point.

I love taking the quilt off of the frame!

And, I really love being able to make a gift for a friend!

Diamonds are Forever- Part 3

Good morning everyone!

June is well under way and we've been dealing with major changes here at Hodgepodge!  As I'm sure you all know by now my good friend and co-author, Anne, moved to Chicago.  I miss her terribly not only because we had such great conversations, but it was nice to have someone of her talent to discuss designing issues and brainstorm on new ideas.  Although we will continue with the blog and her move will open the door to a broader geographic range, I still miss her and Lexington won't be the same for me without her...  The other major change that has occurred hits a little closer to home.  After many months of searching I finally found a job!  It took me almost a year of active searching to find it but I did it and now I must do as many working mothers do and juggle all the balls I have in the air like a well oiled machine.  What it means for the blog is I have less time to devote to my love of sewing; however, I will try my hardest to squeeze it in whenever and as much as possible!

Case in point...  The Diamonds are Forever quilt top is put together at last!!!!  Here is the final result:

The colors are a little on the golden side but I'm sure you get the picture!  This quilt was pretty easy to put together and should be pretty easy to reproduce.  Since first designing Diamonds I have since noticed several quilts of the same design.  When examining their construction many were ridged about the layout of the strips, sometimes even requiring various strip widths because they try to reproduce exact shapes.  I wanted my quilt to be freer than that.  I wanted people to achieve similar results without the headache of having to do absolutely everything the same way I did.  It was a fine balance and I don't know if I achieved everything I wanted but I am happy with the flexibility of the pattern which was very important to me.  The whole purpose of the pattern was to create "wonky" diamond shapes but "how wonky" those diamonds are are up to the quilter.

As for the border, I cannot take credit for the idea.  Anne came up with the genius design to extend the diamond pattern all the way to the edges.  I think it really set the quilt apart from other versions, don't you?  Here's a quick look at how the border came together...

These were the foundation squares which made up the diamonds and the border.  Each large square measured approximately 6 1/2 inches, while the smaller squares were 3 1/2 inches.

Once I finished sewing my strips to the foundation blocks I laid out each block to make sure the pattern and color design worked.  I was particularly happy with this corner piece!

Once sewn together two small squares should fit within one of the larger squares and all the seams should line up exactly.  In order to achieve this each block should be "squared up" to measure 6 1/2 and 3 1/2 inches.  Otherwise the seams won't line up properly.  The picture to the right is of a corner block and required border pieces on two sides of the large diamond block.  

 Here are a couple of close-ups showing how the seams and blocks lined up...

The next steps are to construct the backing, add the batting, quilt the whole thing, and finally add the binding.  It's a good thing I love to sew!

Going Away Gifts...

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I am way behind on things these days. In my defense, I have a fairly good reason for being behind. I am in the process of moving from KY to IL. The good news for our blog is that we will now have access to local shops and other goodies in 2 parts of the country instead of just one. The sad news is that I won't be just a short drive away from Kim anymore. :-( But, when we get together, hopefully we can make a whole weekend of it! 

As I was getting ready to move, I was also working fast and furiously on some going away gifts for my friends in Lexington. I couldn't post pictures of any of those things until after I gave them to their recipients so now I can show you over the next week or so what I have been working on for the last month!

These are some little change pouches that I made for a few of my girlfriends. Who can't use a zippered pouch to keep a few smaller items under control in their purse? I used the Terry Atkinson pattern "Cash and Carry" as my inspiration. She uses a great techniques for putting in the zippers. I am typically a little scared of zippers but using her method, anyone can handle it.

Here are some close-ups of the 2 different designs I made this time.

I think my friends like their gifts and they were a joy to make. I highly-recommend this pattern.

Card of the day!

I am excited for the new catalog release for Stampin' Up 2013-14 but in the meantime, I am using up some of the supplies I already have on hand. Not much to say about this card. The colors used are Baja Breeze (retiring color that was one of my faves), Calypso Coral, and Summer Starfruit, with a touch of Basic Black. Enjoy!