Oh, Alabama: Thank You.

Oh, Alamaba, you know me, don't you?  We were once friends, or are future friends, or maybe just of like minds. 

After a rough day yesterday, I found this bundle of love on my front porch.   Do you see the box is stenciled! (also note the inches of snow outside the window).

And here's a peek inside.  Who doesn't love a brown paper package tied up with string? 

                         

 And, Oh, Alabama, Here's what's inside:  As a thank you for ordering your beautiful NEW book, you sent me a whole yard of 100% green cotton Jaquard fabric and a thick card describing how to make a chair pillow with it.

The book itself was plenty, but thank you, thank you for the surprise.  I am inspired not only by your creativity but also by your generosity.  You clearly love what you do.

You can visit Alabama HERE, We can make some beautiful things together if you do. In the words of Natalie (aka Alabama): "May the book-and the projects that you will make-fill your home with warmth and great stories..."  It already has.

Recylcled T-Shirt Scarf

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For this project, you'll need two t-shirts.  I chose grey and green.  They can have holes in them...we can work around that!   (See my post from yesterday!)

Now, take one shirt and lay it out flat.  Use a bar of soap as tailors chalk and mark out a scarf shape. Start at the shoulder of the shirt, this is the mid-point, and the skinniest part of the scarf.  I just gently flared my shape from the shoulder, across the front of the shirt, and over to the opposite hip of the shirt.  You can see the dotted, dash lines on the shirt...that is the outline, and the normal skid type mark of the soap. Cut the t-shirt in your scarf shape through the two layers.  Then, pin this shape to the second shirt, and cut that one the same size.

 

On whichever side you want to be the front of the scarf, use a stencil to lay out a pattern.  Simple may be best for this first project.  I used the leaf pattern from my brand new Alabama Chanin Stitch Book.  If there are holes in your shirt, you'll need to properly position your stencil in order to make sure that the holey part of the shirt will be discarded.

One layer of the scarf should be stenciled.  For this project stencil each end.  Now, cut out the pattern. Clip the fabric in the center, then work your way around the edges of the stencilled line with your scissors. Then, lay your scarf on a cookie sheet and carefully use a QTip to go around the inner edges of the fabric with bleach. Let the bleach sit for awhile, and then quickly rinse it out in the sink under running cold water. Let it dry flat. The bleach makes for a great weathered look. You could use fabric dye, or even a sharpie if it co-ordinates better with your colors.

Then use embroidery floss to sew it all together. I thought the light pink looked great with the bleached out edges. Pin the two pieces of fabric together.  Start at your stenciled cut out.  I made sure to begin and end my floss at the bottom of each leaf.  This makes for a pretty back of the scarf.

   And just look at how cute this turned out!  The knit will not fray, so I just hand sewed leaving raw edges.  I like how they curl and show the color of the fabric on the reverse.

You can see the pretty back side of the scarf on the right.  I love the knots and chunky stitches.  I hope you make one, if you do, be sure to link back! 

This just may be a girls day out project.  Thank You, Alabama Chanin for the inspiration! 

I'd Like You to Meet Alabama

Well, actually, Natalie Chanin. Her company is Alabama Chanin. This brave and true Mom runs a company that inspires, awes and humbles me.

Natalie began her journey with a documentary that sought to tell the story behind quilt squares. She's a collector of the spoken word. This project put her in touch with so many talented women whose craft has been handed down for generations.

From this acquaintance, her company began. She employs local women from a economically depressed part of Alabama that has generations worth of history in textile mills. The women work at their own pace, with their own work hours, and get paid by the piece. Each article is handmade.

In addition to using organic materials, and promoting a sustainable lifestyle, she practices what she preaches. AND, she's a success. She was just recently featured in Vogue, and Google.

She has a few books, such as Studio Style (above).

But the one I want is the Stitch book. I want to make this skirt. Did I mention that she also sells DIY kits, has classes and workshops, and she sells supplies, patterns, and raw materials.

You truly need to visit her site to get a full appreciation of how this woman is living her dream, and what an inspiration she is to us all.