The Dust-to-Digital book and CD compilation Never a Pal Like Mother is a collection of vintage photographs of and commercial recordings about mother. It’s an unusual and unique gift for any book lover. Just one of several Dust-to-Digital publications we sell in our online store, it may be our favorite.

Our post on Mom and the Casserole  explored the history of the American casserole, a memory most of us share and strongly associate with Mom.

We dug deeper into The Craft of Midwifery, possibly the oldest DIY pursuit known to (wo)mankind, and the growing interest in home births.

Mark Twain’s Advice to Little Girls added some much needed humor to our routine.

We look forward to Sunday and sharing a few moments (not just a card) with our mothers (and those who have mothered us) and perhaps a few moments mothering ourselves.

We wish you all a HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY—whatever that means for you…
xo from all of us @ Alabama Chanin

The newest issue of Refueled Magazine is out and features friends Jack Sanders of Design Build Adventure and Otis James in Nashville. The images in Refueled No. 11 are (once again) beautiful and stunning.

Thanks and a hug to Chris for including Alabama Chanin in the new issue (see our two-page spread below).  Hugs and love to Rinne Allen for the beautiful image of me picking cotton last fall.

xoNatalie

Read the online version of Refueled No. 11 below.

As our conversation about Real Women continues, we’ve collected another story from the male point for view, this one from our friend Jeff Moerchen, who has contributed to our blog before and whose book Ligonier we sell in our online store.

WOMEN ARE BEAUTIFUL:

The coffee shop that I routinely visit employs a female barista with a uni-brow.

She has dyed red hair, wears lots of denim and a baseball cap with a flipped brim that sits high on her head.  She has porcelain skin, round facial features and a shy smile that required coaxing.

After multiple encounters I eventually noticed the extra hair growing in the middle of her brow. After considering individuals like Frida Kahlo or Lauren Hutton who, depending on your perspective, had either obvious flaws or marks of distinction regarding their respective uni-brow or gapped front tooth… I found that this uni-brow gave the barista character while transforming her from girlish into something that one might call confident or distinguished.

When I returned two weeks later she was working behind the counter again. After placing my order I hesitated for a moment then leaned into the counter on my elbows and called her over with my index finger. When she arrived I said, “I like your eyebrow…most women try to conceal that and see it as a flaw, but you own it…It looks really good on you.”

Her face turned red and she halfway nodded her head and said ‘thanks’ in an embarrassed manner. We made eye contact one more time before I walked to the other end of the counter to retrieve my coffee.

As I walked out of the coffee shop, I repeated my comment and wished I had said “eyebrows” with an “s” rather than singular eyebrow. I sort of wished I hadn’t commented on such a sensitive subject, seeing as how I had only assumed that the uni-brow was intentional based on the fact that I had seen it weeks prior. I just figured that if she was in the habit of maintaining it as a hair-free space she would have had ample time to do so, thus making it a safe compliment.

Besides, I truly meant what I had said about it suiting her. To be completely honest, I found the fact that she desired to wear her eyebrows as one in spite of social norms more attractive than the actual uni-brow.

In my opinion, looking good doesn’t have to coincide with what is considered right, en-vogue, customary, or popular. It is very possible that the attributes you fuss over might be the ones that get you the most attention. The psychology that goes into being ‘strange’ can be more attractive than the cult of surface.

For the record:

At the age of 12 I shaved my right eyebrow and then, in an attempt to make them even, I shaved the left one. I was both unaware and never considered that a razor could shave all hair and not just beard, underarm, chest or leg.

Until they grew back people peered deeply at me…knowing that something was amiss but unable to place it.

-  Jeff Moerchen

*Images are from Gemaltes Tagebuch’s book Frida Kahlo, a collection of Frida’s notes and sketches, with many entries addressed to Diego, which I’ve had since it was first published (Amazon has a used copy listed for $262). Frida Kahlo is the most famous woman to sport a uni-brow, and possibly the boldest. The beauty she created continues to inspire.

May’s Desktop of the Month is dedicated to Mom. Mother’s Day is just a couple weeks away, and our Gift Guide for the occasion features a number of sale items, including DIY kits, garments, accessories, and more. Find something lovely for your mother or grandmother, and don’t forget the flowers come Sunday morning.

This hi-resolution photograph, for use as your computer desktop background, is now available to download from our Resource Downloads.

Some of us fell in love with Mark Twain the first time we read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and some of us understood his genius much later on, when we were finally old enough to appreciate his humor and satiric commentary on humanity. Twain’s polished use of irony is ever-present throughout the brief book, Advice to Little Girls, re-published this year with beautiful, and equally provocative, illustrations by Vladimir Radunsky. I loved it immediately.

Whether or not Twain intended this book to fall into the hands of sweet little girls, we’ll never know. And I’m undecided about sharing it with Maggie. Of course, I want to raise a creative, independent thinking, strong daughter, but somehow I think Twain’s “advice” might give her more ideas than she is (and I am) ready for. She’s already managed to exhaust me with her picky eating habits, her refusal to brush her hair, ever, and her snail’s pace at doing just about anything I ask of her.

“If your mother tells you to do a thing, it is wrong to reply that you won’t. It is better and more becoming to intimate that you will do as she bids you, and then afterward act quietly in the matter according to the dictates of your best judgment.”

See what I mean?

“Good little girls ought not to make mouths at their teachers for every trifling offense. This retaliation should only be resorted to under peculiarly aggravated circumstances.”

Clearly Twain is exercising his sharp wit, but there are truths to be found in his “advice.” While I believe in taking the high road, there is at times, the occasion to mirror another’s behavior. Right?

“Good little girls always show marked deference for the aged. You ought never to ’sass’ old people unless they ’sass’ you first.”

As much as I’d like to brag about how smart my daughter is, her first grade vocabulary isn’t quite up to Advice to Little Girls. Maybe I’ll get a few more years of deferent behavior from my child?

Compiled by April and Lance Ledbetter, founders of the Dust-to-Digital label, the 96-page hardcover book features vintage black and white and sepia-toned images of mothers and their children interspersed with poignant lines from popular commercial recordings of the early twentieth century, each one dedicated to Mom. An essay by Sarah Bryan accompanies two CDs of 40 recordings from 1927 to 1956. The forward is written by friend, mother, Alabama Chanin ambassador, and master lyricist Rosanne Cash.

From Rosanne’s essay and the Dust-to-Digital site:

“We can feel our American past here: how we lived, how hard we worked, how we were a nation of travelers and wanderers, how we held fast to our faith, how great our losses were, how quickly death came, and how often our mothers were the rock and the lighthouse, the home inside our hearts. These songs could never be written in the age of jet travel, therapy, delayed adolescence, the internet, nor could they survive current popular ideas of human psychology. They are pristine and deeply wrought sonic images, unfiltered through modern expectations, and are all the more refreshing and thrilling for being so. Those of us who treasure American roots music are listening to the very center of its essence in this anthology: a nearly century-old collection of songs about the most important person in the entire lexicon.” — Rosanne Cash, from the introduction to Never a Pal Like Mother

The book itself, contents notwithstanding, has the beauty of a treasure chest, the CDs tucked neatly inside pockets on the front and back covers. The back cover displays the song list in a vintage inspired typeface that invokes the memory of an old record, perhaps one played on a phonograph of one the mothers depicted within the pages. Any mother would be proud to count this album among her library of cherished tomes (while ballads celebrating her heroism play in the background).

You can get a copy for your mother (or yourself) from our online store here.

I received this gorgeous package from friend and maker Kata Golda a few days ago. My daughter Maggie snatched the contents up and they have been in her school backpack every day since.

Kata makes a menagerie of amazing little creatures with hand-dyed wool felt and hand stitching. They are simple, colorful constructions that embody Kata’s warm spirit and whimsyLike Alabama Chanin, she has a zero waste philosophy, using every piece of fabric and working with recycled and non-toxic materials when possible, while upholding the same standards in day-to-day life.

Love.
xoNatalie

(Thank you again Kata.) Kata Golda’s Hand-Stitched Felt  book is a beautiful addition to the hand-stitcher’s library.

It’s been a busy past few months for Alabama Chanin. Shortly after our cotton picking party and field day came our biggest Black Friday sale, then the holidays, our Garage Sale, Craftsy launch, travels to Los Angeles, the Texas Playboys visit to Florence, and much more in between. All the while, we’ve been making headway with our Alabama cotton project.

Almost a year after we planted our cotton seed in the ground, we would like to share another update about our special crop. We are certain many of you – especially those who helped in the field – will be interested in its progress.

Friends, family, and members of the community returned for our second cotton harvest in November, as did Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q (with their smoker in tow), who brought over 100 employees from their stores – some from as far away as Colorado. We picked, ate, and enjoyed the sense of community that was shown in the cotton field. Thank you again to everyone involved.

We worked all day to fill the trailer with as much cotton we could hand pick from the 6.9 acres. The second harvest was combined with cotton from our first picking party; Jimmy transported the cotton to a local gin in Florence, where it became the last ginned cotton of the season for Scruggs & Vaden Gin. All of the hard, hand-picked work proudly produced two bales of cotton totaling 746 lbs (496 lbs from the upper field variety and 250 lbs from the lower field variety). There is no doubt these are the most loved bales of cotton to ever come into being.

The gin sends a sample of every bale it produces to a classing office where the cotton fiber is tested for grade, quality, and strength. This is done to assure a good crop and help farmers set a market price to sell their cotton. The results of this testing showed that our cotton is of good staple length and quality to be spun into yarn. For lower quality fiber, the cotton is often used in products such as batting, stuffing, or insulation.

We sent the cotton to a spinner in North Carolina, where it is currently next in line to be spun into yarn. What’s next? We look forward to seeing how much yarn will be produced, and then plan on knitting into a fabric similar to our cotton jersey. Look for another update once our cotton is spun.

Thank you again to everyone for their encouragement, support, and help throughout our journey.
All of us @ Alabama Chanin and Billy Reid

P.S.: Thanks to Rinne Allen for the beautiful photos of picking party.

This week, we highlight the Finnish design company, Marimekko. As a long-standing leader in the fashion and design worlds, Marimekko has created timeless and colorful prints for over 60 years. I’ve followed the company from my days at NC State University and, as a designer, I have deep admiration and respect for Armi Ratia, the founder who created an empire by seeking beauty through design.

After World War II, Armi Ratia, a one-time weaver who was trained in industrial design, took interest in fabric printing; she wanted to bring happiness and color to distraught, post-war Finland. Working with full-time designers and buying from freelance artists, she began printing designs on fabrics that we now identify with an era, a culture, and a lifestyle.

From Anna-Liisa Ahmavaara in Finnish Textiles:

“Many people have pointed to that boundless longing for beauty that the war and the years following it produced, and to the fruitful process brought about by Finland’s geographical position: the ingredients being western rationalism on the one hand and the freshness and carefree spirit of the east on the other.”

The colors and patterns of Marimekko contain elements of many styles and artistic movements: the Japanese aesthetic, architectonic expressions, Arts-and-Crafts style, and modern art.

Marimekko’s aesthetic is bold, bright, and clean. Armi envisioned more than textile design; she approached furniture design, interior design, and architecture as a holistic lifestyle – Finnish modernism at its best.

Today, Marimekko continues to be a company thoroughly involved in corporate responsibility. Their design processes are established to allow minimal material waste, energy and water conservation in the printing process, responsible sourcing, environmental care, and active participation in the local community. They use organic cotton and natural materials to create quality products.

In part with the exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture, the book Marimekko: Fabrics, Fashion, Architecture offers a retrospective look into the brand and its founder, Armi Ratia. With beautiful photography that captures prints and garments, a chronology of Marimekko’s ad campaigns, and behind the scenes images, the book is a comprehensive chronicling of the international developments and successes of Marimekko and its designers over the years.

To best sum up Marimekko, Creative Director Minna Kemell-Kutvonen states, “In general, when we talk about colours, we usually say here that the color doesn’t yell at you – it glows.”

Check back this week as we take DIY and culinary inspiration from the Finnish company.

This year, as we celebrate Real Women and what they mean in our lives, we thought it essential to include the perspectives of both men and women. So, beginning today, we will be offering stories, thoughts, and remembrances from men of the great women in their lives.

AUNT SNOONIE

When I was a kid in the 1970s, one of my favorite things to do was go to dinner at the Sam-Pan Chinese restaurant with my mom and my aunt Carlynn “Snoonie” Calhoun. They would order wine and Egg Foo Young and Chop Suey, and I would tear into the wonton soup and the pepper steak, and on a good night I’d be able to get a Shirley Temple if I played my cards right. They would spend hours there, telling their same old stories, sometimes ragging on the idiots in their lives (who they still seemed to have a deep affection for), but mostly telling stories about the menagerie that made up their circle of friends from 1950s Central Florida: two girlfriends who came out as gay in the 1960s and carried switchblades to handle anybody who didn’t like it, their friend in the iron lung (whom Snoonie liked to take to the Steak & Ale with her, mostly just to see peoples’ reactions), and many other characters who could easily have been created by Elmore Leonard.

After listening to them for awhile, I would spend the rest of my time running up and down the sidewalk outside the restaurant – sometimes over to the pond in a park across the street to catch frogs, sometimes ogling the toys at the Toy King. But, eventually I’d find myself in Snoonie’s car listening to her country music tapes. I’d often fall asleep there and finally get woken up and sleepily ride home with my mom.

It’s those evenings I think of when I think what a friendship should be. Listening to them enjoy each other’s company, never getting tired of the same old stories and arguments, never just saying what the other wanted to hear. That’s my model for how friends should interact and what a real friend should be.

Snoonie’s gone now. She and my mom are just two of the strong women who seemed to have filled up my life growing up – self-sufficient women who didn’t take shit off of anybody, but in the most amusing ways. It’s hard for me to single one woman out. But it’s those nights outside the Sam-Pan that I learned my respect and awe of women. I wish I could drive by there right now and take a run up the sidewalk.

-Martin Lynds