This long-awaited book from Natalie ‘Alabama’ Chanin begins with her story. After living in New York and Vienna for over 20 years, she began to transform cotton T-shirts into high fashion using the needlework skills she learned as a child in Florence, Alabama. When she moved home, Chanin hired local women (many of whom had worked in the state’s now defunct textile factories) to stitch her couture collections with her.

What follows is a step-by-step guide to the stitching, stenciling, and beading techniques used in the 20 projects showcased in the book: T-shirts, skirts, and corsets that are sold at chic shops around the world, plus a journal cover, sampler quilt, and tablecloth, among others. Also included are a pullout stencil, perforated postcard for bead-embroidery, and reusable patterns. Throughout are Robert Rausch’s beautiful photographs set against the back roads, farms, and homesteads of the rural South.

Hardcover
176 pgs
11 x 8.5"

About the Author:  Natalie Chanin is the founder and head designer of Alabama Chanin and the author of five books, including bestsellers The Geometry of Hand Sewing and Alabama Studio Sewing Patterns. Her work has been featured in Vogue, the New York Times, and Town & Country, among other publications, and on CBS News. She is a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. She lives in Florence, Alabama.