It’s a BIG week for us here at Alabama Chanin. Our newest book, Alabama Studio Sewing Patterns, lands in stores and into the hands of the makers tomorrow. This fourth book in the Alabama Studio Series includes all the patterns from our first three Studio Books on a convenient CD, plus instructions and patterns for 12 new skirts, dresses, tops, and jackets, with illustrated guidelines for customizing the fit and style of each. The book teaches readers the ins and outs of refashioning garment shapes, raising and lowering necklines, taking in and letting out waistlines, and many more key forms of customization; it also offers guidelines for adapting patterns from other popular sewing companies to the Alabama Chanin style—stitched by hand in organic cotton jersey and embellished with stencils, embroidery, and beading. Check back on Wednesday for information on the best ways to print our patterns and stencils.

On Friday of this week, we introduce a newly re-organized Studio Books + Patterns section. This re-formatting will make possible our first-ever downloadable garment patterns for purchase—beginning with our popular Unisex T-Shirt. Additionally, new and improved stenciling patterns will be available to purchase in PDF form with full-scale artwork for wide-format printing and also for tiled printing on both 8 1/2″ x 11” paper, or A4 paper. Look for additional garment patterns through 2015.

Beginning Friday, our stencil designs will be for sale in the same PDF form with full-scale artwork for wide-format printing and also for tiled printing on both 8 1/2″ x 11” paper, or A4 paper. These updated PDFs come after many requests for a more robust selection of artwork and will be available for a cost ranging from $5 to $8. Our current stencil designs are free and available to download through midnight on Wednesday, April 8^th, on our Resources page. On Thursday, April 9^th, some of our resources may be unavailable and the Resources page will be under construction for part of that day. The updated Resources page will launch on Friday with our new and improved stencil PDF’s and the first new garment pattern.

On page 13 of Alabama Studio Sewing + Design, you will also find step-by-step instructions on how to make your own stencil, beginning with choosing the stencil image.

Stenciling is a cornerstone in our design process. Our graphics and design team spend a great deal of time researching artwork inspiration and creating the stencils that we use in our final designs. The process often transitions from computer to hand manipulation, and then back to the computer until the design is finalized.

We take a great deal of pride in being able to share our work and creations. The mission of The School of Making is to educate, share ideas, and designs, and in turn to create a community of makers. We offer a growing range of tools from our Studio Book Series, to Workshops, Makeshift conversations, DIY projects on our Journal, and our Studio Books + Patterns page.