“Unto this wood I came as to a nest; dreaming that sylvan peace offered the harrowed ease—Nature a soft release from men’s unrest.” – Thomas Hardy
Sylvan: of the woods; bucolic; idyllic; a mythical spirit of the forest
Deriving from Medieval Latin, Sylvanus—one who frequents the woods. Sylvanus is a Roman god of the woods and fields, sometimes identified with the Greek god, Pan.
The Sylvan stencil is derived from Victorian flower drawings, which idealized rustic and seasonal settings.

Claude Cocoon, The Rib Dress
Garments embellished with the Sylvan stencil combine the elements of our current earthy color palette with a pastoral point-of-view. They are bold and yet delicate; decorative, but not too precious—a combination of the raw components of nature with the refined beauty of the forest.

Left: Lovelace Cardigan, The Shell, The Pull-on Skirt; Right: Rosanne Coat

Conner Skirt
Shop the entire Collection—all thoughtfully made in our studio and community in The Shoals—now with these new additions.

Left: The Cocoon; Right: The Cocoon Cardigan, Gaia Dress
P.S.: We have also created two notable new layering pieces: the hand-sewn Cocoon and machine-sewn Cocoon Cardigan that will carry you easily from spring into summer. Look for a more elaborate, hand-embroidered Cocoon, the Claude Cocoon, which features the Sylvan design.
I do hope that one day you will offer this stencil for sale
Hi, Nicola!
While the Sylvan stencil is part of the Collection and not available in The School of Making, we have recently released the Daisy stencil. You can purchase it and all of our stencils at the link below:
http://alabamachanin.com/the-school-of-making/stenciling
These are incredible! How do you do it? Every new collection you release makes me gasp with delight and then happy tears!!
Thank you for offering such beautiful, systainably made clothing!!
Thank you for your kind words, Heather. We hope you will enjoy your new Halle Tunic and Crop Cardigan!
*sustainably made
I must say Thank You, Mom, for my name.
This pattern is beautiful…love the skirt!
Hi. It’s Nicola again – I have the Daisy stencil and most of your others too. I just hope that at some point in the future you will consider offering the Sylvan stencil.