KATA’S CRITTERS

April 19, 2013

KATA'S CRITTERS

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.

KATA'S CRITTERS

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GARAGE SALE 2013

GARAGE SALE NOW OPEN

The Alabama Chanin Garage Sale is back. Open at 9 am CST (now), we feature items from our recent sample sale, along with trims, notions, fabrics, DIY Kits, and treasures galore (yes, it’s an online sample sale).

Shop our Alabama Chanin Garage Sale for a select few one-of-a-kind garments and home goods.

Shop our DIY Garage Sale for special-dyed fabrics, notions, DIY Kits, and more.

If you participated in one of our previous garage sales, you know items go very quickly, and our inventory system is not always able to keep up. We have taken precautions and hope everything runs smoothly, but please be patient with us as we fill orders and keep up with the excitement.

THE RULES:

1) Most of our Garage Sale items are one-of-a-kind—meaning, there really is only one—except where indicated. If you buy it first, it’s yours. Just adding an item to your cart doesn’t mean it’s yours, you have to click purchase first.

2) Once you buy it, it’s yours. No returns, exchanges, or buyer’s remorse allowed. (You won’t want to anyway.)

3) Everything is sold as-is. We have done our best to give complete descriptions. If something is less than perfect, we have tried to let you know. But then, we love less than perfect from time-to-time and are sure that you will love your purchase, too.

4) Be happy. Make good things. Love your neighbor. Share.

5) We’ve been enjoying these Garage Sales and having fun re-discovering what’s hiding in all of our storage boxes. As long as you keep coming back, we’ll keep having them.

Call us if you need our help, just call: +1.256.760.1090
Or email: office (at) alabamachanin.com

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ZKANO ORGANIC SOCKS (AND A DIY PROJECT)

April 18, 2013

My friend Kay and I started giving one another socks for each holiday several years ago. Although this may bring back memories of dreaded Christmas gifts from years past (not socks again!), I find the gift of socks a very practical thing. It’s just not one of those things that I go out and purchase for myself on a regular basis—but, anyone who has had to show their threadbare socks in public understands that such a reveal can cause major embarrassment. Think back to that cliché, “Always wear clean underwear because you never know where you will find yourself.”

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PICK 5: A RECIPE FOR CHANGE

April 17, 2013

PICK 5: A RECIPE FOR CHANGE

I’ve written before about the importance of organic cotton and the residual chemical damage traditional cotton leaves behind in our land and our bodies. As many of you know, we planted and raised our own organic cotton here in Alabama last summer, and every Alabama Chanin product is made with 100% organic cotton. We are a sustainable design company, making as much use of everything we have so that we throw away very, very little. Cotton scraps become pulls for tying hair or curtains, smaller pieces are reworked into something larger. In honor of Earth Day this coming Monday, we’ve taken the EPA Pick 5 challenge to go a little deeper and consider some ways cotton can be reworked into our daily routines.

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NOP AND GOTS

April 16, 2013

NOP AND GOTS

As readers of our journal, many of you have read about our attempts to grow organic cotton here in Alabama. While researching the process and details of what it means to grow organic cotton, we discovered, to our surprise, that only a small amount of the world’s organic cotton is grown in the United States. We are part of an effort to change that, as are other companies, like Zkano. We must ask the questions – What makes cotton organic? Who makes the rules? And who regulates the whole system?

A food or agricultural product can be labeled as organic, meaning that it was inspected and met the USDA’s established regulations for organic products. Organic products cannot be grown using chemical fertilizers or any type of genetic engineering, among other criteria. The National Organic Program (NOP) oversees all organic crops, including raw cotton fibers. While food crops and products must meet very rigid requirements to be labeled as organic, the same does not hold true for fibers or the products made with those fibers. While the NOP makes rules and manages the process of certifying cotton fiber as organic, it doesn’t make any rules about what happens to the fiber after it has been harvested.

NOP AND GOTS

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COTTON UPDATE

April 15, 2013

COTTON UPDATE - PHOTO BY RINNE ALLEN

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.

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AFTER THE PLAYBOYS

April 12, 2013

AFTER THE PLAYBOYS

Last weekend we hosted the Texas Playboys from Austin, Texas. The baseball club made up of artists, architects, musicians, photographers and entrepreneurs joined us for a weekend of great music, food, cocktails, and baseball. We were thrilled and honored they voted to visit Florence, Alabama for this year’s travel game (see ballot above) and flattered they challenged our not-too-shabby Billy Reid + Alabama Chanin team in Barnstorm2013.

AFTER THE PLAYBOYS - Photography by Abraham Rowe

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DIY TUNICS (MARIMEKKO STYLE)

April 11, 2013

This week, we’ve been exploring Finnish design company, Marimekko, well known for creating colorful, often bold patterns and fabrics. While their designs were first made popular in the 1960’s by Jacqueline Kennedy, the bright and vibrant garments remain classic choices, appropriate for any generation. Personally, I love to add a bold pattern or color to my regular wardrobe from time-to-time, and re-visiting the Marimekko story inspired this Tunic.

This pattern is a variation of our T-shirt Top, available in Alabama Studio Sewing + Design cut to tunic length. The tunic has a bit of a flare starting at the waist, which makes it comfortable and forgiving. We also have variations of tunics – the Camisole Tunic and the Tank Tunic – available as patterns in Alabama Studio Style.

DIY TUNIC MARIMEKKO-STYLE

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DIY GOAT CHEESE FOR MOM

April 10, 2013

My friend Tasia of Belle Chevre – that wonderful goat cheese I’ve mentioned (a few times) before – has created Make Your Own Goat Cheese Kits. I love this idea for a Mother’s Day gift. Maybe if I let my Picky Eater help me make it, she’ll actually eat it. Kit includes everything you need, just add milk (and Mom).

Find kits here, or visit Belle Chevre’s beautiful new tasting room in Elkmont, Alabama.

Photography by Stephanie Schamban for Belle Chevre.

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MARIMEKKO FOR LUNCH

For Marimekko Week, we wanted to make (and eat) one of the delicious Finnish dishes on the Marimekko Feeling Festive blog. Armi Ratia has been an inspiration to so many, myself included, for decades. The clean lines and graphic look of Marimekko patterns are both simple and exciting to the eye and the bold, bright colors exude confidence and happiness. I feel a distant kinship with Armi and the Marimekko process. There exists a shared desire to create beauty in things that will last a very long time.

That colorful simplicity of Marimekko design finds its way into the Festive blog recipes. This Carrot Butter was well loved by our staff on a very cold, grey day.

MARIMEKKO FOR LUNCH

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