Paisley Border Alabama Chanin Tank Dress with Matching Long Sleeve Bolero

 The other day I was going through my closet looking for something to wear to a silent auction. I don't usually have "Nothing to Wear" days. I have "Oh, I forgot I made that!" days. It happened again! I rediscovered one of the first garments I made once I got hooked on Alabama Chanin hand- sewing. I did not review it or the matching bolero jacket I made to go with it, so here we are.

It is a short length tank dress with a applique border along the lower half of the skirt. For this single layer dress, I used tan jersey fabric as the base and a plum colored jersey fabric for the top layer. It is hand stitched with natural colored button and craft thread.  I did not have an airbrush at the time, and used a spray bottle to apply white paint with the paisley stencil. I used this stencil because I liked it, but also because the large scale stencil could be sewn up quickly.

I can admit now, that my workmanship was not the greatest. I was eager to get it done and did not take as much care as I could have. My stitches were wider than they should be on the applique. The herringbone stitches on the binding on the bolero are stretched too far apart. Those "flaws" did not stop me from wearing this outfit! I hand stitched it, I am going to wear it!

This dress is the large size that I made before losing some weight so it is not fitted to my body/ B.I.R.A dress form as the small/medium I would cut now, should be. I like the extra ease in this dress now that I am smaller. I could see myself making this in the large again if only the lower portion is embellished, but not the complete dress. The single layer of jersey is thinner, so having it not cling works for me. The double layer of a full dress feels better with a closer fit.

On this dress, I did not adjust the low neckline as I didn't get Laura's tip on raising the straps until recently. This low neckline made it necessary for me to cover up with the bolero. I made it with a single layer of jersey cotton and appliqued the wrists. I secured the binding with a herringbone stitch. The bolero is a size large and I think it is too big now. The straps from the dress keep it in place, but I think the smaller size in it would be more flattering when worn.

 

Pattern Description:
Hand-stitched four panel tank dress with long-sleeve bolero from Alabama Chanin Studio Sewing and Design
 
Pattern Sizing:
 
S,M,L,XL I made a size large in this dress.
 
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
 
This specific dress design is a not featured in the book, but the elements I used are. This is the Short Tank dress that I embellished with the paisley stencil that can be made from the book. The bolero is the long sleeve version that I appliqued the wrists with the paisley stencil.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
 
The books give very clear instructions and inspirations for creating multiple garments. The garment construction is not difficult, but it is time-consuming. (Does time-consuming have a negative implication? It is engrossing, time-dependent, addicting, and repetitive.) The garments in the book require a great deal of work and the results appear complex because of the details, but broken down into smaller parts, easy.  
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?     

I love everything about the patterns in this book. The paisley stencil is large so it stitches up faster than some others in the book. With this stencil, you feel like you are making progress especially if you are working with a running stitch. 

I don't like the depth of the neckline in the front and back. They are too low for my style. By raising the shoulder straps by about 2 inches on each side, I get the modesty I require. (I did not shorten the straps on this dress.)  
Fabric Used:
 
Jersey Cotton in Tan and Plum.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
 
I made the tank dress in the short length with not alterations to the pattern.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  

Yes and yes. I plan to make another with an all-over paisley design in hunter green.

Conclusion: Great books and start to an awesome addiction. 

Information regarding my custom dress form and PDF giveaway can be found here

Happy Sewing!

Alabama Chanin Short Fitted Tank Dress with Random Ruffles

I am slowly and steadily stitching away at my Anna's Garden fitted tank dress that I airbrushed months ago. It has four panels that need to be extensively stitched. I work on it every now and then, but then I get impatient; I want it done now! More specifically, I want more Alabama Chanin pieces in my wardrobe. To that end, I step away from it to and work on a faster project
This time it is the Short Fitted Tank Dress from the book Alabama Chanin Studio Sewing and Design. I decided to make it using random ruffles for embellishment on the front. I chose to add a neck ruffle and a strip of contrast to the neckline. I found that pinning the random ruffles onto the dress front easier, than ruffling it as I went along. I got a few more pin pricks that way, but it went a lot faster.

 

I felt the neckline was too low for my liking so I added the gathered  ruffle to give more coverage. It did the trick in the front, but I think it made the back too heavy and it doesn't lay as flat as I like. I folded the ruffle in half before stitching it in place. Next time I will use a single layer for the ruffle. Not a wearing deal-breaker, but good to know for next time.

Here are is the finished garment as well a review of the pattern.

Be careful in marking the center front and side seams on this one! I am pretty certain I didn’t do this and sewed them wrong. Look! I think the side seams should be center and the center seams on the side! Grrr! I am glad at least that I made this mistake on this dress rather than another, with more embellishments. Lesson learned. I plan to resolve this issue by paying attention next time and wearing this one with a bolero I plan to make. Regardless, I like the dress and will wear it happily!

The problem seems obvious now!

 

Pattern Description:
Four panel tank dress from Alabama Chanin Studio Sewing and Design
 
Pattern Sizing:
 
S,M,L,XL I made a medium and sewed it with a 1/2 inch allowance.
 
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
 
This dress is a combination of multiple elements from the book brought together in one piece. It looks like I intended.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
 
The books give very clear instructions and inspirations for creating multiple garments.
 
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?     

I love everything about the patterns in this book. I do not like the depth of the neckline on the dress however. This dress is muslin to test increasing the modesty level with the added ruffle.
Fabric Used:
 
Jersey Cotton in Tan and Brown

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
 
I made the fitted tank dress in the short length. I added four strips of brown random ruffles on either side of the center seam. I added a brown gathered ruffle to the front and back neckline. On top of the ruffle I added a 1.5 inch strip of tan jersey that I secured with a herringbone stitch. I bound the armholes with strips of jersey using a parallel stitch.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  

Yes and Yes!

Conclusion: Great books and start to an awesome addiction. 

Happy Sewing!

Alabama Chanin Cap Sleeve

I have been at it again! Sewing up another Alabama Chanin creation. This time I have ventured into a new item from the book Alabama Chanin Studio Sewing and Design.

 I decided to make the cap sleeve tee shirt from the book using the Angie's Fall design.

 Before I received my airbrush from my mother-in-law, I painted some grey jersey with my old spray painting method. I prefer the look of the airbrushed painting as it is smoother and looks better. However, since I had it already painted and knew I was going to do a reverse applique technique, I  choose to use what I had on hand.

I used grey jersey for the top layer, black paint, and a baby blue jersey as the backing layer. It is hand sewn using slate colored button/craft thread. I decided to leave the knots exposed on the top and felled the seams to the sides.

Close up of the reverse applique

 Please pardon my wind blown hair! We had to get the pictures while the kids tapped on the window for us to come back inside :).

Alabama Chanin Angie's Fall Cap Sleeve tee shirt.

Detail of the hand sewn seams felled to the back

Detail of the cap sleeve and neck binding with herringbone stitch

For this shirt, I cut the size medium and did not add the suggested seam allowance. I did however sew a 5/8th seam allowance into the shirt when I constructed it.. So the sizing is midway between the small and medium sizes. I found that to be the perfect sizing for me; not too tight, not too loose.

I love this shirt! It was fairly fast to put together and only took 2 weeks of evening and free time sewing. Using a running stitch rather than a reverse back stitch makes such a difference in terms of speed. I like it so much that I airbrushed three more shirts! One will be yellow with the Little Flowers stencil in black; another is tan with black in the Paisley stencil and the last is black with Anna's Garden in white. For those tops, I will make the neck binding wider. The detail of the herringbone stitch is lost on such a narrow binding.

If you haven't tried Alabama Chanin hand sewing yet, consider doing so. It is so rewarding to complete a garment from beginning to end in this way. Tracing the pattern, cutting, painting, embellishing, and sewing it all by hand is well worth the effort.

Happy Sewing

Jamie Shift Dress in Alabama Chanin Style

I have completed my entry dress for the BurdaStyle Sewing Vintage Modern Contest. It took only one and a half weeks of nap-time and bedtime sewing. Given what was involved from start to finish, I am surprised that I completed it so quickly!

• First, the pattern was traced and cut (my least favorite part).  From the original pattern, I omitted the facings and instead used a double layer of jersey fabric; blue for the top and cream underneath. I also omitted the back zipper and instead used a six inch slit and hook and eye closure.
• The top fabric was painted with the Angie's Fall stencil with fabric paint and allowed to dry overnight.
• Next, I began hand stitching around the shape using running and reverse back stitches leaving the thread tails and knots visible on the right side of the fabric.
• I then, hand beaded sequins and seed beads inside the shapes. This process is completely new to me and I think I did a fair job of it. I learned some "what not to dos", but all in all I am happy with it.

• The dress was then hand sewn together, then the side and shoulder seams felled to the wrong side and sewn.
• Finally, I bound the neck and arm holes securing them with a herringbone stitch.

 It is fun and flirty and I think it is too cute!

The contest deadline has been extended to February 15th, so there is still time for you to get your entry in!

Happy Sewing

Utterly, Completely, Totally Obsessed beyond all reason with Alabam Chanin sewing.

A year ago my mother-in-law gave me the book Alabama Studio Sewing and Design. I added it to my amazon wishlist because it was a sewing book and I liked what I saw in the preview. I really had no idea how much I would love the process of slow-stitching  and completely constructing garments by hand from start to finish. Natalie Chanin's design concept uses 100% organic cotton and all hand-stitched and richly embroidered with applique, reverse applique, intricate bead work, ribbon embroidery and various knot techniques. Her designs are available for purchase as customizable garments on her website Alabama Chanin. The garments are made to order and to your specifications. The garments are expensive and at first glance may seem outlandish. If you consider what goes into each piece, you will see why they are worth so much.

If paying $300 for a skirt or $3400 for a dress is too much for you, how about you make your own! She does the fabulously unthinkable thing of giving her fans all the tools to build their Alabama Chanin wardrobe at a fraction of the cost  in her three books. She provides the patterns, the stencil artwork for download, the sewing techniques and inspiration for you to begin the slow and satisfying process.

Alabama Chanin sewing books

I have since purchased the other books and dived in. I have traced patterns, cut stencils, painted fabric, and sewn and sewn and sewn. Here is a sampling of what I have made using her techniques.

With all the details required for her garments, I thought I would start my projects small and began making the uber cute bolero from her third book. I used the spiral applique technique and the herringbone stitch. It was so satisfying to make this and I worn it a great deal last summer.

 

Spiral Bolero front

Spiral Bolero Back

 After constructing the bolero, a few skirts, and a couple of failed projects, I decided to tackle a dress or two. I thrifted some lovely tan jersey fabric from the local Value Village and used some plum jersey from my stash. I used the paisley stencil and tank dress pattern from Alabama Studio Sewing and Design. I made this dress in a single layer and am happy with it because of the Texas heat, but I think I prefer the heft of a double layer garment.

I

Alabama Chanin Paisley Tank Dress

Detail of the skirt

Detail of the herringbone stitch on the neck and arm bindings.

This dress took a month to make and I relished the slow progress as I went along, but boy was I glad I didn't decide on an all over design. I wanted it to be done so I could wear it! I am very happy with the end result and am so ready to move onto the next project.