Tea party - Alabama Chanin at the Stitchin' Post

Tea Party - Alabama Chanin at the Stitchin' Post ~

The lovely ladies at the Stitchin' Post are having an open house tea party on Saturday, October 25th, from 10:00 - 2:00 as a way to introduce all things Alabama Chanin, and myself, Patti Calande, to all you wonderful folks. They wanted to give everyone the opportunity to see firsthand just how beautiful, yet approachable Alabama Chanin projects are. We feel once you see them, you'll want to start hand stitching items for yourself!

I'll have sample books showing many of the techniques that are illustrated in the Alabama Chanin book series. I will also bring dozens of garments and sample projects from the books and from my class for you to look at. It's really a great way to see up close and personal just how the Alabama Chanin projects are put together. You can also get a good feel for the domestically grown, organic cotton jersey fabric that their items are made from, and the unique look and quality that comes from hand sewing.

I will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about Alabama Chanin and about my upcoming class at the Stitchin' Post in November.

This is a free event, so if you like, bring a friend or two along. I really hope you can come by. I'd so enjoy meeting you and sharing the wonderful world of Alabama Chanin and the art of hand stitching.

Hillsboro, Or Alabama Chanin workshop

Hillsboro, OR,  Alabama Chanin workshop

What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday ~  meeting new friends, stitching away, delving into all things Alabama Chanin, and all laced with a huge dose of laughter. We learned that the "tips and tricks" of sewing really DO make the process a whole lot easier. One of the ladies suggested we change  "old wives tales" to "old wives TRUTHS". I wholeheartedly agree. I can't wait to see the pieces that this energetic and brilliantly creative group of ladies produces.

Wet-paint stenciling

Wet-paint stenciling.

I've always admired Alabama Chanin's faded leaves fabric. When I was at the factory last November, Steven talked about the process to make the fabric. It sounded pretty straight forward and really fun. Because the fabric needs to be wet and laid out in a single layer, it's the perfect outdoor, summertime project. I knew my friend Debbie would be game, so I gave her a call, and we made our plans.  We gathered in her yard on a gorgeous, sunny morning.

The first step is to soak the fabric in a bucket of salt water for about 20 minutes. A very long table would be the ideal work surface, but since we didn't have one, we laid out an area of plastic on the ground and secured the edges with rocks.

Wring out your fabric and lay it in a single layer on your work surface. While your fabric is still wet, place your stencil on your fabric (we used natural and white fabric), and spray with black fabric paint. We used our Badger airbrush tool with canned air (purchased at our local hobby store).

In most cases you would want a smooth, flat work surface so your stencil would come out nice and crisp. In our case, we didn't mind that the surface was not perfectly flat, because we knew we were going for a faded, washed-out look. Reposition your stencil, and repeat the spraying process until all your fabric has been painted.

Once your fabric is completely stenciled, use a spray bottle filled with water to spray the entire piece of fabric until the desired look is achieved. The more you spray, the more the paint spreads.

The upper left-hand corner has not been sprayed with water yet, and the rest has. You can see how the paint continues to spread out even more after it has been sprayed with water. 

Wait about an hour, then hang your fabric out to dry. Dry for at least 24 hours, then machine wash and dry as usual.

There was a slight breeze while we were painting, and we did get some overspray. Debbie made an impromptu design decision and incorporated the overspray into an ombre section of fabric ~ white to light gray to darker gray. I can't wait to see how she puts it all together.

Complete directions can be found on page 48, of Alabama Studio Style, by Natalie Chanin.

I think I'll make a short dress out of my faded leaves fabric....or perhaps a corset top...or.....hmmmm, what do you think?