When life gives you lemons, cover them in beads.

Over a year and a half ago I made the caplet featured in the out of print Butterick  5843. 

Alabama Chanin had just launched its a line featuring polka dots and I thought I'd give it a try. I did not have an airbrush so I painted the fabric using my old timey spray bottle method. This method was hit or miss for me. Sometimes I got the paint to stay within the stencil shape, but other times it leaked out over the side. 

The spillage seamed minor and given that I was still new to AC hand-sewing, I decided to press on with this project. I used a double layer of jersey cotton; grey underneath and a denim blue on top.  I stenciled black paint to color the polka dots. To secure the layers, I used embroidery floss and a reverse back stitch. Some shapes had two layers of embroidery floss in grey and white. 

After some time I finished the cape. On one hand, I was happy that I finished a project, but on the other hand I was not happy with the paint. In those days, my sewing results were hit or miss and I was just happy to be advancing in my sewing and using pieces they didn't necessarily work as practice. So, I finished the cape and put it in my closet where it hung unused.

Fast forward to the present day and Natalie's Craftsy class. When she got to the topic of beading she mentioned using beading as a decorative element, but also as an aid to help hide mistakes! This gave me the brilliant idea to bring some new life into this forgotten project. I would use beads to cover the spillage of the paint and hopefully get a wearable garment. I used a mixture of bugle beads, chop beads, and sequins to create random half-beading along the outside of the stenciled shapes and embroidery stitches. This did wonders to hide the paint that bled through the stencil.

Beading on the outside of the polka dots.

 

Double reverse back-stitched shapes

Cape Front with a cross stitch binding along the neckline and front

Cape Back

The original cape was secured with jersey ties. I decided to swap that out for a jersey covered button and elastic loop. I am pleased with the result and will not allow this to hang out in the back of the closet anymore.

Happy Sewing,

Bianca

Beaded Alabama Chanin Polka Dot Sampler

Hello, my name is Bianca and I am an addict. All the readers say "Hi Bianca!" In my varied and storied career I have spent some time as an Addictions Counselor, Case Manager, and Group Leader, so I know the signs. I can unequivocally say I am addicted to sewing Alabama Chanin garments. They are beautiful, creative, and wonderfully detailed. I work multiple garments at a time relishing the various techniques required for each. I have many garments cut and queued waiting their turn to be stitched. I have a longer queue of garments I dream of sewing, but have yet to cut. 
I am in constant need of a fix. I was at a doctor's appointment and required to wait. The waiting grew longer and more difficult to endure because I didn't have anything to sew! I kept thinking, I could have stitched four circles by now! Call my name! (BREATHE).  I recall the tools I have been trained to use and I have learned to always have something handy. :)
 

There is a Mini Wardrobe Contest running over on Pattern Review.com. The contest requires participants to complete four garments that must combine (without adding additional garments) to create at least 4 looks. I have entered and plan to  sew a mini Alabama Chanin Wardrobe. I plan to make a dress, a jacket, a top, and skirt to produce the following 4 looks: Dress; dress/jacket; skirt/top; skirt/top/jacket.

The kicker is that I have one month to do it! I know it is insane. I have been working on this dress for almost a year; what am I thinking? In any case, I started mentally planning my entries when the contest was announced. On September 1, I began my sewing of the top entry.

I wanted to work on my beading techniques and decided to  use my top as a sampler. I used the t-shirt pattern from the Alabama Chanin Studio Sewing and Design book. I used my polka dot stencil to add the shapes to a single layer of slate grey cotton jersey.

Polka Dot Stencil

Dots applied.

I got to work on the embellishments. I used red embroidery floss to work reverse back stitches to serve as the foundation of the polka dots. I then used an assortment of seed, chop, bugle, beads and sequins to create various beaded arrangements.

These patterns combined to create this finished top. It is hand-stitched with slate button and craft thread. The seams are felled to the inside and top-stitched. The neckline is bound using a Cretan stitch.

I am satisfied with the outcome of the top at this point. I may add more sequins and beads in the spaces over time. If I get the other entries completed, I may add them before the contest ends! Bahahahaha! What grandiose thinking! I need a meeting!

Happy Sewing!
Bianca

Alabama Chanin Large Polka Dot T-shirt

I recently enrolled in Natalie Chanin's Hand Embellishing Knit Fabric class on Craftsy. It was on sale at a rate I couldn't pass up. I initially thought that with the three books in my library, I wouldn't learn much more, but I was wrong. The class was like sitting across a workroom table from Natalie as she worked; it is pretty great.

I used to not like road trips. I was born and raised in The Bahamas on an island that is 7 miles by 21 miles long. Road trips, were not a part of my traveling culture and they used to make me very antsy and agitated. I would take trips and think, "If I were flying, I would be there by now!" Now, as a fan of hand-sewing I relish the thought of a long road trip, oh the things that can be created along endless strips of road.

I am returning from a family road trip to the Frio River in the Texas Hill Country. It was delightful, restful, peaceful and a great opportunity to work on Alabama Chanin hand-sewing. As we drove through the cotton fields I stitched away on a shirt inspired by this Large Polka Dot T-shirt in the Alabama Chanin store. The tips she gave in the Craftsy class made this project super fast. 

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Cotton plants in Texas

Cotton fields in Texas

The Polka Dot T-shirt instructions are not described in the book, but based on the photos it was easy to figure it out. I made a stencil of large circles using pennant felt and a circle template.

I then airbrushed black paint on green jersey fabric. I appliqued the circles onto tan fabric using variegated embroidery floss that I won in a contest at the start of the year. Once all of the circles were applied with a back-stitch, I  cut away the green fabric leaving about 1/4 inch of the green along the outside of the black. A super fast tip Natalie gave in the class was to baste the bindings with regular thread before adding your stretch stitches. I would usually pin and hoop my bindings. This tip made the neckline finishing go so much faster. I hand-stitched the rest of the t-shirt following the instructions from the Studio Sewing and Design Book.

 

Polka Dot Detail

Herringbone Stitch on Neckline

 

Large Polka Dot T-shirt

Here is my review of the project:

Pattern Description:
Alabama Chanin Tee shirt from Alabama Chanin Studio Sewing and Design book and website.

Pattern Sizing
S,M,L,XL I made a size medium.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
I think it does with the exception of the color choices.
 
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 the book. This polka dot embellishment was fast, easy and uncomplicated. It is a good beginner A.C. project. I also like the look of the variegated floss in the circles. It gives a bit more dimension to a simple design. 
No dislikes.

Fabric Used:
Jersey Cotton in Tan and Hunter Green and button and craft thread in natural.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
I used three strands of floss for stitching the appliques on. Natalie suggests using four strands in the back stitch. I  was in the car as I made this and found the even division of the floss more convenient than storing the two unused strands until later. I can't tell a difference now, but it may not been as strong over time.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes and Yes.

Conclusion: If you have been thinking about making an A.C. piece, this is a good starter project.  

Happy Sewing!