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

Nice book with creative stitches

Alle Bücher von Natalie Chanin sind ein ausgesprochener Gewinn! Inspirierend, interessant und äußerst kreativ. Auch mit wenig Englischkenntnissen gut lesbar und verständlich, ausserdem anschaulich dargestellt, sodass die Techniken anwendbar sind und schöne Ergebnisse bringen. Alle Bücher wirklich wertvoll, ein großes Dankeschön der Autorin .

Ótimo conteúdo, ilustrações e acabamento.

Infiniti spunti creativi, originali e non troppo difficili da realizzare, completo di cartamodello versatile.piacevole scoperta di uno stile rielaborato della vecchia America

This book took my breath away, if it were possible i would LOVE to spend a week with the extraordinarily inspirational and talented designer of the projects and hence author of the book. I came across the book by accident and am delighted that i did so, i was feeling flat and lacking creative inspiration when out of now where this book presents itself, after flicking through the "look inside" function i was hooked. I had to have this book, the few glimpses inside the book inspired me no end. I love the book for the simple fact that there is an environmental consideration regarding the materials used for each project, the projects are set out in a clear, concise, easy to follow step by step manner with many tips and hints along the way which facilitates the process of the user creating a well made garment, this in my view, renders the book as user friendly. Now for my favorite part of the book, the "designs", the designs in this book are breath taking for their simplicity, adaptability and endless possibility. I found the embellishment techniques in the book promote and encourage the creation of original garment by, using the simplicity of the initial garment design then, embellishing the garment to create a totally unique, hand made one of a kind, heirloom garment.Individuals who enjoy any craft will benefit enormously from this book as the techniques are adaptable and transferable to many other crafts, the imagination and creativity of the user will be stimulated and inspired to limitless heights, the possibilities are truly endless. This is the most valuable book in my collection, I love it so much i keep it protected in a box to avoid damage LOL :)An outstanding, inspirational book with a conscience and a clear message to get back to a by gone time of creation not consumerism. Thank you Natalie Chanin for this timeless treasure :)

J'ai les trois livres de Nathalie Chanin, c'est celui-ci que je préfère, c'est le mieux abouti à mon sens. Ce livre est déjà superbe à feuilleter, un véritable délice pour les yeux, les exemples de broderies sont merveilleux et pour avoir déjà commencé à travailler avec, je peux dire que les patrons sont très bien taillés. Les modèles sont basiques, taillés dans du jersey, mais dès qu'ils sont ornés, brodés, retravaillés, ils deviennent des atours de reine! La couture et la broderie sont faites à la main, c'est long mais c'est finalement très facile et d'une grande simplicité, ces morceaux d'étoffe deviennent superbes, et ce travail de fourmi est presque thérapeutique. Et chaque vêtement créé devient unique. De quoi se faire une garde-robe vraiment confortable, agréable à porter et d'une grande beauté.

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 wavered on buying this book. I wasn't a big fan of the bucket hat on the cover, had never heard of Alabama Chanin, and when I looked at a few images of the fashion line I didn't see myself in those clothes.I made my decision to purchase based on the emphasis on hand sewing, embroidery, fashion applique, and beading. This may be the best sewing-centric book purchase I've made in the last 12 months (and I've made quite a few).This is a truly outstanding book from cover to cover for a few reasons:1.) The stitch charts are very easy to follow.2.) The samples are presented in LARGE, close up photographs3.) The garments included are very basic and can be made by hand with one of the easiest, green friendly, most forgiving fabrics out there- cotton jersey.4) The instructions are very good. Even a beginner could make the tank, tee, skirt, bolero, wrap, or fingerless gloves by hand with a minimum of notions except for quality fabric and thread. Those particular items would probably not give a beginner a fit over fitting either. You'll need more tools for stenciling or beading, but even they are pretty simple to acquire.5.) The book's index includes photos for fast referencing6.) The embellishments shown are beautiful and accessible!You can go as elaborate (full beading and applique on a long dress) or simple (adding a basic ruffle to a tank) as you want. This is truly "luxe casual" at its best.All the things above tied together with the author's encouraging narrative (friendly without being too exhausting)make this a wonderful book. Very few things I consider a "must have". However, if you are in to hand sewing garments or just curious about how to add embellishment to clothes you make or own, this book does an excellent job and has enough ideas to keep you busy for a very long time.