Coffee Cozy




Coffee Cozy ~

I'll admit it, I am a creature of habit. I love my morning routine, from slipping on my fuzzy slippers to sipping my perfectly made organic French roast, French pressed coffee. Only thing is, my second cup gets a little tepid without something wrapped around the press to keep it warm. We have been using a tea towel, which does work, but recently I dreamed of making a lovely little cozy. I had some already felted wool sweaters for warmth, and of course to fancy it up a bit, I would add something a la Alabama Chanin. I adore the "Lovelace" stencil, and so I set off to create my sweet little coffee cozy.




I used a paper bag to create a pattern to fit my Bonjour 12-cup French press.  My initial measurements were a little different, but a final version of a 14" by 6" rectangle body and a 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" rectangle closure would be good.




I had a thickly felted sweater that worked nicely as an under layer; and my top layer was Alabama Chanin's medium weight organic cotton jersey in black.




I used my rotary cuter to true up the top and bottom layers. I then stenciled my Lovelace pattern onto the cotton jersey, using the Simply Spray fabric paint.




After the paint dried, I used these clips to secure the top and bottom layers together. It was easier than pinning them together since the felted wool was rather thick.

I stitched around each element and reverse appliqued the piece. I then whipstitched the entire perimeter. I left the tab plain wool, and topstitched it onto the body. I used adhesive velcro on the edge of the body and the tab. I took a few stitches at the edges to keep the Velcro from pulling up.




Here's the top view:




Here's the under view.




Here's a bit of a close up.




I like that this was created from scraps and bits that I already had on hand; and that the project was finished within a day. I think I'll make a couple more as gifts.

Art & Soul, 2016











Effervescent, bubbling over with excitement perfectly describes this lovely, jolly group of ladies who attended the Art & Soul, Alabama Chanin class on Friday! I so enjoyed looking out onto a sea of smiling faces while guiding these women through the physics of sewing, tips and old wives "truths", stitches, techniques, construction, stenciling, beading and more.





We had participants who traveled from all over the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii and Canada. I was thrilled that a few ladies shared their own completed Alabama Chanin projects with us. It was a pleasant surprise to see Sue from 2015 Art & Soul in class! I was thankful that my friend, Miss Connie, was able to bring extra boxes in her car to Portland for me, so I had more room for samples of Alabama Chanin clothing. Inspecting completed projects up close and personal is another aide to understanding garment construction, plus it's a whole heck of a lot of fun! One of my greatest joys is seeing lightbulbs going off and sparks of ideas flying around.




My friend Phyllis was able to be my assistant for the day, and she was invaluable. Let me repeat that...She was invaluable! Thank you Glenny and Marie from Art & Soul for hosting our workshop and running such a wonderful event. And of course, many thanks to all the talented folks at Alabama Chanin for creating your beautiful, sustainable line of clothing, craft, and business.

My heart is full.