Stylebook Book Club - Book 5
January is the month for wildly ambitious resolutions, and I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. I want to
encourage everyone to get out of their comfort zone. Why not try making some of your own clothes this year with this
month’s book selection,
Alabama Studio Sewing Patterns: A Guide to Customizing a Hand-Stitched Alabama Chanin Wardrobe? I promise it’s not as hard as it looks and
this book selection is perfect for beginners. Natalie Chanin’s designs use hand sewing techniques so you don’t even need a sewing machine.
The book is easy to follow and wonderfully illustrated with detailed instructions to help you get started. I’ve already made one of the tops from the book and I wear it regularly. My favorite part about the project was that I could sit in the living room and chat with my husband or watch TV while stitching. I had a real sense of accomplishment the first time I added a “ me made” item to my Stylebook closet. I listed the brand as “Jess Atkins Sewing and Knitting” and I plan to add more over the year! I’m going to make the wrap skirt from the book this month and I hope you’ll try it too!
I think the book is great, but if you’re more of a visual learner, Alabama Chanin also offers video classes on the platform Craftsy. I love Craftsy for all kinds of classes. Last year, I took sewing, cooking and knitting lessons online. If you’re interested, I can’t recommend it enough!
- Jess Atkins, Stylebook Co-founder
Jess's Take-Away and Discussion
Alabama Studio Sewing Patterns is hands down one of my favorite sewing books. This year, I want to make more clothes than I buy and I thought this book way to start working towards that goal. I decided to sew a shorter version of the tank instead of the wrap skirt and focused on experimenting with different stitching techniques. For this project, I sewed open-felled seams with the rosebud stitch, which was a little more difficult than my first project.
I also did stitching in a contrast thread all over the top in a sort of corset shape. Overall, I’m really happy with how it turned out! I wound up with a very versatile layering piece! I love the bohemian quality of the hand-sewn designs and I think it adds a lot of dimension to layered outfits.
Discussion:
Comment on the Instagram post below to tell me the most helpful tip you learned from the book.
- Did you make anything from the book?
- Are you interested in sewing your own clothes?
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Here’s how it works!
On the first of the month: I’ll share a new book on for everyone to read. Join our email list here to get notified about each month’s book.
The first week of the month: I’ll post on Instagram about what I got from the book and I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me there too!.
NOTE: Posts in the Style Guides series include affiliate links to some of the products discussed. Stylebook receives compensation for purchases made through links to affiliates.
