In celebration of the 10-year anniversary edition release of Alabama Stitch Book, we celebrate our journey and growth over the years by re-releasing special-edition kits of our Swing Skirts, which were featured in Alabama Stitch Book and remain our most popular garment pattern of all time. It is likely that, because of the number of Swing Skirts created in homes, at workshops, and in our first Crafsty class, there are more of these skirts walking around in the world than any other Alabama Chanin or The School of Making garment.
The Bloomers Swing Skirt showcases one of the earliest classic Alabama Chanin stencils. This garment was previously available only in tonal color options, but now has updated colorways to choose from.
The Faded Bloomers Swing Skirt highlights the Bloomers stencil. With this option (previously available only in tonal color options), your backing fabric will always be Faded, but you now have the option to select your outer layer of choice.
Our Appliqué Rose Swing Skirt is another classic version of the Swing Skirt. Like the Bloomers stencil, the Rose is one of our oldest and most popular stencils and one that celebrates the history of Alabama Chanin and The School of Making.
As always, once you have placed your order we will match your thread and elastic colors to match your colorways of choice.
Take advantage of this limited-time re-release and add a Swing Skirt (or another) to your collection.
P.S.: Make your next swing skirt from the newest design of our Limited-Edition Printed Cotton Jersey which is now available in Sand with the Anna’s Garden stencil.
P.P.S.: Find the design choices below from a sampling of Swing Skirt designs that have been created over the years. Skirts with an asterisk* are available through Custom DIY. Please note some of the fabrics are no longer available.
Share your Swing Skirt project with us on Instagram using #tsomswingskirt. We’d love to see how yours turned out.
From top left to right:
1 – Magdalena Swing Skirt
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Limited-edition Printed Jersey in Sunset (discontinued)
Fabric color for inner layer – Natural
Button Craft thread – Dogwood
Stencil – Magdalena
Technique – Reverse appliqué
Knots – Inside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Light Blush
2 – Anna’s Garden Swing Skirt*
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Grape
Fabric color for inner layer – Burgundy
Button Craft thread – Burgundy
Textile paint color – Pearl Brownie
Stencil – Anna’s Garden
Technique – Outside reverse appliqué
Knots – Inside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Pewter (discontinued)
3 – Anna’s Garden Swing Skirt* (28″)
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Navy
Fabric color for inner layer – Navy
Button Craft thread – Navy
Stencil – Anna’s Garden
Technique – Negative reverse appliqué
Textile paint color – Slate
Knots – Outside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Navy
4 – New Leaves Swing Skirt
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color – Limited-Edition Printed Cotton Jersey in New Leaves Natural (discontinued)
Button Craft thread – Dogwood
Stencil – Small New Leaves
Technique – None
Knots – Inside
Seams – Outside felled Rosebud Stitch
Elastic – Natural (Cream)
5 – Bloomers Swing Skirt*
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Black
Fabric color for inner layer – Faded Angie’s Fall
Button Craft thread – Black
Textile paint color – Slate
Stencil – Bloomers
Technique – Reverse appliqué
Knots – Outside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Black
6 – Bloomers Swing Skirt*
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Apple
Fabric color for inner layer – Earth
Button Craft thread – Brown
Textile paint color – Brownie
Stencil – Bloomers
Technique – Reverse appliqué
Knots – Outside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Red
7 – Anna’s Garden Swing Skirt* (21”)
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Pewter
Fabric color for inner layer – Pewter
Button Craft thread – Slate
Textile paint color – Pearl Brownie
Stencil – Anna’s Garden
Technique – Negative reverse appliqué
Knots – Outside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Slate
8 – Appliqué Rose Swing Skirt*
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Blue Slate
Fabric color for inner layer – Blue Slate
Appliqué Fabric color– Black
Button Craft thread – Black and Slate
Stencil – Rose Placement
Technique – Appliqué
Knots – Inside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Black
9 – Magdalena Swing Skirt*
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Parchment
Fabric color for inner layer – Natural
Button Craft thread – Cream
Textile paint color – Wood
Stencil – Magdalena
Technique – Reverse appliqué
Knots – Outside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Sand
10 – Facets Swing Skirt* (28”)
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Baby Blue
Fabric color for inner layer – Baby Blue
Button Craft thread – Dogwood
Textile paint color – Pearl Grey
Stencil – Facets
Technique – Reverse appliqué
Knots – Inside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Baby Blue
11 – Magdalena Swing Skirt*
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Baby Blue
Fabric color for inner layer – Dove
Button Craft thread – Slate
Textile paint color – Fog
Stencil – Magdalena
Technique – Negative reverse appliqué
Knots – Outside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Dark Grey (discontinued)
12 – Magdalena Swing Skirt*
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Light Indigo (discontinued)
Fabric color for inner layer – Natural
Button Craft thread – Slate
Textile paint color – Nickel
Stencil – Magdalena
Technique – Reverse appliqué
Knots – Inside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Dark Grey (discontinued)
13 – Anna’s Garden Swing Skirt*
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Black
Fabric color for inner layer – Black
Button Craft thread – Black
Textile paint color – Pearl Brownie
Stencil – Anna’s Garden
Technique – Negative reverse appliqué
Knots – Outside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Black
14 – Bloomers Swing Skirt*
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Black
Fabric color for inner layer – Black
Button Craft thread – Black
Textile paint color – Slate
Stencil – Bloomers
Technique – Reverse appliqué
Knots – Inside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Black
15 – New Leaves Swing Skirt*
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Pewter
Fabric color for inner layer – Black
Button Craft thread – Slate (Black thread on Elastic)
Embroidery Floss – Charcoal
Textile paint color – Black Gold
Stencil – Small New Leaves
Technique – Backstitch reverse appliqué
Knots – Inside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Black
16 – Anna’s Garden Swing Skirt*
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Natural
Fabric color for inner layer – Sand
Button Craft thread – Cream
Textile paint color – Pearl Silver
Stencil – Anna’s Garden
Technique – Reverse appliqué
Knots – Inside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Natural (Cream)
17 – Embroidered Eyelet Swing Skirt
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Navy
Fabric color for inner layer –Navy
Button Craft thread – Slate/Navy
Technique – Eyelets and Embroidery
Embroidery Floss – Dark Grey and Light Grey
Bugle Beads – Satin Grey Bugle
Knots – Inside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Navy
18 – Paisley Swing Skirt
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Indigo (discontinued)
Fabric color for inner layer – Indigo (discontinued)
Button Craft thread – Slate
Textile paint color – Pearl Grey
Stencil – Paisley
Technique – Negative reverse appliqué
Knots – Inside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Baby Blue
19 – Variegated Stripe Swing Skirt
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Blue Slate
Fabric color for inner layer – White
Button Craft thread – Slate
Textile paint color – Pearl Grey
Stencil – Variegated Stripe
Techniques – Beaded embroidery
Beads – Natalie’s Mix and Satin Grey Bugle
Knots – Inside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Dark Grey (discontinued)
20 – Anna’s Garden Swing Skirt*
Fabric weight – 100% organic medium-weight organic cotton jersey
Fabric color for outer layer – Ochre
Fabric color for inner layer – Ochre
Button Craft thread – Slate
Textile paint color – Pearl Brownie
Stencil – Anna’s Garden
Technique – Reverse appliqué
Knots – Outside
Seams – Inside felled
Elastic – Moss
P.S.: If you purchase your class from the links on our website, we will earn a small commission from the product purchased through that link. This commission supports our business and helps us stock our 100% organic fabrics, pay our employees a living wage, and allows our teams to continue to design and create the products that you love. What might seem like a small gesture can go a long way for our business, so thank you.
Ten years ago, we thought the idea of writing a book would be an exciting and relatively quick journey. After all, Natalie had already written a handbook, of sorts, for our artisan stitchers to use, explaining our standards and how to make each garment. What more was there to do but flesh those instructions out and tell some stories about how the company came to be? Perhaps if Natalie had known more about exactly what goes into writing a book, she might have said no to the proposition. But she didn’t, and we expanded to create the other members of our family of businesses.
My class was filmed at the Alabama Chanin studio in Florence, Alabama, but you can join me for these lessons from anywhere in the world. Just like the skills you’ll learn, my class is yours to keep—you can watch it whenever and however many times you like. Plus, the Craftsy classroom lets you pose questions so that your classmates and I can get back to you with answers. You can also use Craftsy’s video notes to mark and return to important techniques easily, plus you can utilize the thirty-second repeat feature to loop a technique without taking your hands off your sewing. My class has a wealth of information that I know you will enjoy, but if for any reason you aren’t satisfied, you can receive your money back with no questions asked.
I wrote last August about the process of writing this book and the moment of 
I’ve had time to recover since writing that post. I am once again in the studio and have – once again – been pulled away from the book and into other projects. Much like giving birth, it seems that the pain of delivery subsides as you move away from the actual moment of delivery and on to holding that growing life. Not to compare my book with a new life BUT, when Alabama Stitch Book first came out, my editor, Melanie Falick, said “the best part of writing a book is watching that book come to life in the hands of another.” It’s true. I experience that exact feeling as I sit here today and write this post. While the book is not a life, it does take on a life of its own. Today, I am the proud mama of a 1 pound, glowing book.
So, without further ado, here you find photographs of some of my favorite spreads in the book, 
DIY Kits, fabrics, and other goodies will begin to appear in our online store over the next weeks. Can’t wait to hear what you have to say… xoNatalie 
My daughter loves to use these tea towels for napkins, as a bib to cover her school clothes when eating breakfast (we use a wooden clothespin to hold two corners behind her neck) and she takes one to school in her lunch box to use as her own personal placemat. She started kindergarten last Thursday and I think I will be making a lot of these tea towels in the coming year! 
My personal work is expensive because it is organic, custom-dyed cotton jersey that is cut, painted, sewn, and embellished completely by hand in America with skilled artisans who set a fair price for their work. Over the years, I heard rumblings in the media of my work being “elitist,” and “inaccessible” because of its price. And while our collections have been deemed “couture,” we run our business in the most down-to-earth way from a small community in North Alabama. Sustainability – both ecological and cultural – has defined our growth from the very beginning and “elitist” would actually be the antithesis of who we are.
Of course, there were naysayers who firmly believed that, by openly sharing, I was putting the nails in my own coffin. They thought that once our “trade secrets” were common knowledge, no one would purchase our couture garments. Honestly, I was fearful when 
One and a half years later, I am thinking that I survived by the skin of my teeth. I can’t tell you exactly why this book was harder than the rest. But I assure you, it was. I remember once distinctly calling out across our studio, “Can someone please drive me to O’Neal Bridge, so I can jump off?”
