Our friends at The Market at Pepper Place in Birmingham couldn’t have said it better: “In an uncertain world, our farmers ground us in what is most important: Mother Earth, our daily bread, and each other.”  Pepper Place, Alabama’s biggest and most well-known farmers market, is continuing operation as a contactless drive-through market with pick-up options,… Read on

As we continue to navigate through this frightening and uneasy time, we’ve also loved to see people cooking more, sharing photos, and sending one another recipes over social media. A community of people who have long turned to fast solutions are embracing their home kitchens and finding new ways to use ingredients. This is a… Read on

Right now, as best we can, we are looking for ways to ease anxiety. Scientific research shows the positive and calming effects that sewing, cooking, and hands-on making has on the brain. The meditative action of sewing reduces stress. It increases dopamine, the happiness hormone; it requires creativity—which improves the brain’s ability to grow new… Read on

As we write this post our national food and beverage industry is in free-fall. Restaurants and bars, shuttered in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, have laid off an unknown number of staff and servers across the country. We feel deeply what our friend Brooks Reitz wrote yesterday, “Uncharted waters. We have been gut punched,… Read on

Each moment is just what it is. It might be the only moment of our life; it might be the only strawberry we’ll ever eat. – Pema Chödrön  June brings the Summer Solstice on June 20th, and its full moon, the Strawberry Moon on June 24th—honoring the berry synonymous with summer.  That summertime staple, the strawberry,… Read on

From top left: Luna Rae Top in White Gold Palm; The Willie Top in Blue Slate; Waffle Caftan in Natural; Lightweight Organic Cotton Face Mask in Black; Left and bottom right: Lee Dress, 2017; Top right: Chandler Jacket and Austin Skirt, 2018 by Natalie Chanin for Alabama Chanin from The Women who Revolutionized Fashion: 250… Read on

From our very beginnings, Alabama Chanin has approached design from a sustainable and zero-waste perspective. Our earliest Collection garments were t-shirts taken apart and pieced back together, sometimes using scraps for appliqué or decoration. We are always looking for ways to use scraps in clever or utilitarian ways. Sometimes that means building our patterns so that they… Read on

As information changes daily, we’re all working around the clock to understand how to integrate this protective equipment into our daily lives. Due to an overwhelming response, our masks may now require three to four weeks for production. If you require immediate protection, please consult these links below for patterns and instructions to create your… Read on

In this time of COVID-19 and great unrest, we’ve been looking for projects that are easy to execute with on-hand materials. String Quilting is an age-old technique that uses scraps and leftovers to create something new. We’re sharing here the instructions for String Quilting and the String-Quilted Pillow project from Alabama Studio Style, which is soon to be retired. (If you don’t yet… Read on

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” ― James Beard Restaurants have been one of the hardest hit industries during this pandemic, and, as their lifeline in the supply chain, many farmers are also deeply affected. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, these eateries and gathering places were the hearts of countless communities across the country…. Read on

As we spend more time indoors, social distancing, and getting through this time spent #TogetherApart, we can’t think of a better way to fill the time, keep our hands busy, and allow our minds a bit of rest, than making.   2020 is The Year of Color at The School of Making, and we have been exploring new… Read on

During this time of uncertainty, we are thinking of the wellbeing of those in our lives—especially elderly parents and grandparents, children, immunocompromised friends, neighbors, and coworkers, local businesses, and restaurants struggling to stay open and pay their employees. Though these thoughts are inevitable (and completely normal), we also know self-care and retreat are vital for… Read on

As we all work together to stop the spread of COVID-19, we’re looking to find things—cooking, making, connecting—that will sustain and nourish us in meaningful ways. As we strive to maintain our normal routines as best we can, we are also looking for beauty everywhere. Spring has arrived in north Alabama, and we’re fortunate to… Read on