Designer Natalie Chanin blends embroidery and hand-sewing techniques with her own personal story in this empowering guide for all who love stitching and handcraft

Embroidery: Threads and Stories from Alabama Chanin and The School of Making mixes lessons in sewing, design, and embroidery with Natalie Chanin's engaging, personal story of the evolution of Alabama Chanin and the indelible mark the techniques she pioneered and the company she founded have made on the sewing and fashion industry.

Chapters explore design-related themes—craft, technique, relationship, repeat, and color — through images, instruction, and stories from Chanin about her life, Alabama Chanin, and the evolving view of craft and hand-sewing in the modern world. The book also explores how sewing and embroidery relate to wider concerns of sustainability, community, and women’s empowerment.

As makers, we tend to learn different stitches over time without thinking much about how they relate to one another. Embroidery challenges us to go deeper by examining the history of a beloved company and cherished pastime.

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.

Alabama Studio Sewing Patterns: A Guide to Customizing a Hand-Stitched Alabama Chanin Wardrobe by Natalie Chanin is a companion to the Alabama Studio Series: Alabama Stitch Book, Alabama Studio Style, and Alabama Studio Sewing + Design. In this final volume of the four-book series, Chanin offers, by popular demand, three new core patterns—the A-Line Dress/Tunic/Top, the Long and Short Wrap Skirt, and the Classic Coat/Jacket/Cardigan — and a guide to customizing garments to fit and flatter. For ease, convenience, and to ease its ecological footprint, this book comes with a CD rather than paper patterns. The disc contains patterns for all of the garments from the previous books in the Alabama Studio series with additional sizing for XXL, the three new patterns, plus five Alabama Chanin stencil designs, including the Polka Dot in three sizes, the popular New Leaves, and the classic Magdalena (all for readers to print as needed for their individual sewing purposes). Printed and bound in the USA.

This instalment highlights:

- 9 core garment patterns with up to 34 standard variations, plus 3 bonus pocket patterns
- Patterns from the entire Alabama Studio book series with the additional XXL size
- 5 full-scale stencil designs, plus a free bonus download available from Alabama Chanin’s website (https://alabamachanin.com/resources/large-scallops-stencil-artwork)
- Useful, convenient CD that minimizes its ecological footprint by conserving paper

About the Author:

Natalie Chanin is the founder and creative director of Alabama Chanin and author of Alabama Stitch Book, Alabama Studio Style, Alabama Studio Sewing + Design, and Alabama Studio Sewing Patterns.

As makers, we tend to learn different stitches over time without thinking much about how they relate to one another. But when Natalie Chanin and her Alabama Chanin and The School of Making teams began to look at needlework closely, they realized all stitches are based on geometric grid systems ― and by using grids as guides, they could make learning stitches, even seemingly elaborate ones, as easy as child’s play.

In The Geometry of Hand-Sewing Chanin presents their breakthrough method, featuring illustrated instructions (for both right- and left-handed stitchers) for more than 100 stitches ― from the most basic straight and chain to the more fanciful feather and herringbone; photos of both right and wrong sides; and guidelines for modifying stitches to increase one’s repertoire further. To simplify learning, the book also includes two plastic stitching cards die-cut with the grids on which every stitch in the book is based. These reusable cards can be stitched through for practicing (just as children use lacing cards to learn to tie shoes) or used as stencils for transferring grids to fabric.

About the Author:

Natalie Chanin is the founder and creative director of Alabama Chanin and author of Alabama Stitch Book, Alabama Studio Style, Alabama Studio Sewing + Design, and Alabama Studio Sewing Patterns.

Alabama Studio Sewing + Design is an invaluable reference for any woman who has dreamed of creating her own gorgeous handmade wardrobe. In this follow-up to Alabama Stitch Book and Alabama Studio Style, author Natalie Chanin presents all of the stenciling, hand-stitching, and bead¬ing techniques her company uses to create the award-winning Alabama Chanin line of organic cotton clothing, plus more than 50 variations that lead to infinite design possibilities. Included in this encyclopedic compilation of Alabama Chanin skill and style are patterns and instructions for dresses, skirts, tops, a wrap, a poncho, a bolero, fingerless gloves, and a hat. Each piece is featured in both its basic form and with varying embellishment combinations. By mixing, matching, and layering, a stunning, unique, and versatile wardrobe can be built.

About the Author:

Natalie Chanin is the founder and creative director of Alabama Chanin and author of Alabama Stitch Book, Alabama Studio Style, Alabama Studio Sewing + Design, and Alabama Studio Sewing Patterns.