My new favorite material in our studio is the Yarn Ball. 

 
Faded Leaves Fabric – new to our online store – is made by Wet-Paint Stenciling - one of the new techniques included in our (soon to arrive) Alabama Studio Style. The fabric was first included in our Fall/Winter 2008 Revolution Collection.  At the time, I was looking for new ways to color fabric that did not require dyeing. Faded Leaves was the result and here are a few of the ways that we incorporated it into the collection.

 

 

Elegant Stitches by Judith Baker Montano - and now available from our Online Store - is by far the best illustrated guide to simple, as well as extremely complicated, embroidery stitches. A perfect companion to our Alabama Stitch Book, our Stitchers all have copies that have been dog-eared and used over and over again...

Add Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin and you have our perfect Sewing Primer and a great gift for the Stitcher in your world.

Sewing Primer ships with one yard of our 100% Organic Cotton Jersey Fabric, two Color Cards and one spool of our Button Craft Thread.

The perfect gift - ready to give - comes tied in a bundle and shipped in our stenciled boxes...

For projects on the go:

http://www.alabamachanin.com/store/sewing-kit

Photo: Anna Maria Horner

I received a load of new books while I was away on my whirlwind travels & can’t wait to dive in…

While visiting Boston recently, my hosts at the Museum of Fine Arts gave all of the attendees this flyer about Furoshiki.

The term describes “a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that was frequently used to transport clothes, gifts or other goods.”

"Although there are still Furoshiki users in Japan, their numbers declined in the post-war period, in large part due to the proliferation of the plastic shopping bag. In recent years, it has seen a renewed interest as environmental protection became a concern."

What a great “green” way to use any available cloths to wrap your holiday gifts…

& THANKS to the Fashion Council for a lovely event!

I have been traveling so much that it has been difficult to keep up with all of the inspiring people, places and things that have crossed my path these last months. I am looking forward to slowing down for the holidays to process.

In Lincoln, Nebraska, I had the opportunity to tour the incredible International Quilt Study Center where the most fantastic, pristine, beautiful quilts find a home and are perfectly archived for future generations.

Visit their site to explore their magnificent collection or to make your own quilt design…

When Melanie described this new STC title, I could not fully imagine how a book about domesticity could be so interesting. And now, I am taken aback by the beauty, prose and "comforts" of Jane Brocket and The Gentle Art of Domesticity.

When opening the book, I was stuck by the very first line:

“There is a world of difference between domesticity and domestication.”

Jane makes me long for more time at home studying the simple beauty of life and love.

We have added our pre-cut Bloomers All-Over and Placement stencils along with new fabric colors to our online store.

And be sure to see our new Home Collection Lookbook.

Stay tuned for additions and updates coming very soon…

Back in March, Liesl Gibson wrote a really lovely story about our Alabama Stitch Book on disdressed. I contacted Liesl to let her know that I loved the story of her running across the street “during lunch just to ogle the Project Alabama t-shirts” (My former company which I AM NO LONGER A PART OF – can you tell that I want to make that clear to the world?)

In writing back and forth with Liesl and browsing the blog, I discovered her new line of children’s patterns oliver + s.

While we do not make children’s clothing, I have loved taking the techniques we use to make special pieces for my daughter. Here, Maggie’s new dress – made by our master seamstress, Diane - using our fabrics, stenciled and hand sewn from a pattern by oliver + s.

It has taken me (literally) weeks to get Maggie to sit still long enough to actually get a picture of the dress that was not blurred in motion! While you cannot see the detail, it is really the best photo I have been able to get.

We have since made another version of the dress using our binding, with herringbone stitch , around the neckline and armholes like the corset from Alabama Stitch Book. I can’t wait to try out the whole collection of patterns.

And, don’t miss the beautiful (and functional) paper doll presentation.

Thanks Liesl .

http://www.oliverands.com/
 

We are lucky enough to have a “Traveling Sharpener” who goes from community to community with his tools and sets up one day a month at our local fabric store to sharpen scissors.

If you did not have a sharpener in your neighborhood or local fabric store, I would check with local hair salons to find out where they get their scissors sharpened.

Additionally, we found these online services for scissor sharpening:

http://www.at-home-services.biz/
http://www.kavogelsons.com/
http://www.mobilecarbide.com/

We have never tested or used one of these online services and provide these links just as a place to get started.

Embroidery Scissors

The scissors that I prefer to use are Gingher, in Model G-4 (4” Classic Embroidery Shears) and G-5 (5” Knife Edge Sewing and Craft Scissors). http://www.gingher.com/

I recommend that you test every scissor before purchasing. Each pair sits differently in your hand and a good pair of scissors should last a lifetime. Our local fabric store carries the entire Gingher range which is great as you can test the individual pairs to see what fits best to your way of working. Most stores have comparable prices and it is important to support local businesses.

Garment Scissors
For larger cutting projects, everyone in our office uses the Fiskars Soft Touch scissors which you can find in every fabric and general store in most every community.
These scissors have stood the test of time in our office and continue delivering excellent performance without tiring the hand like conventional scissors:
http://www.fiskarscrafts.com/tools/t_no-8-razor-edged-softouch-scissors.aspx

Paper Scissors
Use your old sewing scissors for paper scissors when you replace them with the Fiskars Soft Touch scissors (above) for cutting garments.

Seam Ripper
It might seem that all seam rippers are created equal; however, my favorite is this
Clover Needlecraft White Seam Ripper which is also available at most fabric stores locally:
http://www.brewersewing.com/detailview.jsp?item_id=CL482W

Craft Knife
Craft knives are readily available in every community; support your local merchants.

Here is another question from our Alabama Stitch Book:

I want to get a rotary cutter and self-healing mat. Do you have any specific recommendations?

We purchase many of our working supplies from Brewer Sewing Supply which is now called Brewer Quilting & Supply; but, local fabric and craft stores have good selections of rotary cutters and mats available.

Our favorite Olfa cutting mat comes in several sizes but we go back again and again for the 24” X 36” which is style number RM-MG at the Brewer site.

There are also many different styles of Rotary Cutters Available, I prefer the Fiskars 45mm; however, everyone else in our office likes the Olfa 28 mm cutter.

Update: Kate Martin sends this link with the comment that these can be cut to fit any table and is so thick that it will last her whole life. Kate says, "worth every penny." Thanks Kate!

http://www.cutting-mat.com/

Update: We now offer mats from our online store...

 

My dear friend Sara Martin made the most amazing presents for her yearly holiday party. Everyone at the party received their very own Paint by Number portrait, painted by Sara and her husband Kory.

Sara shared this software with me which would be great for embroidery and needlepoint too: Paint By Numbers 2005

And here is a history of the Paint by Number phenomenon from the Smithsonian Institute: Paint by Number

Be sure to read "Every Man a Rembrandt "

We use rubber stamps for so many things... the very first label I designed was a rubber stamp. We use them for letterhead, envelopes, presentation covers, business cards. This is a great & easy to use resource for designing your own: www.rubberstampchamp.com