Sew “Alabama Chanin” with your own hands: pattern, diagrams and description

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The famous models of the luxury, environmentally friendly brand Alabama Chanin, first appeared in the United States of America. For their production, only natural, organic cotton is used. The creator and chief designer of the fashion line is Natalie Chanin. She uses a variety of accessories and techniques to decorate her models. These include reverse or straight appliqué, embroidery using ribbons, beaded and lace patterns and much more.

After completion of the work, the fabric takes on a completely new, unique appearance. The designer works with natural shades, which gives products made from such material maximum femininity, romance and sophistication. When the Alabama Chanin brand first appeared, it received a lot of positive and negative reviews. Some considered Natalie's exclusive technique a real discovery, others did not recognize it, criticizing it in every possible way.

The designer herself was very passionate about her work, so she didn’t pay much attention to the gossip. From an early age she loved needlework, embroidery and appliqué. Her grandmother taught her the basics of fashion design. After graduating from high school, Natalie left Alabama and went to New York Design School. She did not have the funds to buy expensive clothes, so Natalie bought cheap things and created masterpieces from them herself.

"Alabama Chanin" - interesting facts

The Alabama Chanin trademark became an official brand in 2006. The cost of exclusive items is quite high, which often caused gossip and dissatisfaction from buyers and other designers. Then the designer came up with an alternative option. She released special kits that contained everything you needed to make your own appliqués: stencil, knitwear, thread, needle. Interesting Facts:

• In the unique works of the fashion designer, every detail is exclusive. She attracts the eye and delights with her unique beauty;
• The master works with two-layer and three-layer applications, which requires a lot of effort and time. This explains the high cost of clothing;
• the uniqueness of each masterpiece is emphasized by figured stitches of various configurations and directions;
• Using unique techniques, a completely new material is created, which is subsequently used to sew luxury models.

To make a high-quality applique similar to Chanin’s yourself, you can buy a ready-made kit. It contains a special printed fabric, a large or small stencil and everything else. The Alabama Chanin brand uses the technique with different fabrics. The designer even works with wool yarn.

“Alabama Chanin” – master class: how to make a reverse pattern

In order to create a reverse appliqué, you need to sew a second layer of fabric onto the main fabric. Then figures of any shape and size are cut out on one of the fabrics. As a result, we get the opposite version of the application. It is not applied on top of the base layer, as is done in most cases, but is located underneath it.

Making such patterns yourself is not difficult. It is important to first create a sketch correctly. You need to draw shapes on the surface so that you can then carefully remove the excess fabric along the line. Reverse applique is a great way to get rid of stains, damage to the material or create an exclusive decor. What you need to create a design:

• two types of material of different colors;
• chalk or pencil for drawing;
• stencils with which the figures will be drawn;
• thread (a dense, thick thread will look original);
• sewing machine or needle;
• scissors.

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Application “Alabama Chanin” - execution technique

First you need to choose the right material. To make the item pleasant to wear, it is better to give preference to natural fabrics. It is easier to make an applique on fabric that does not stretch and can hold its shape. Experts advise taking a closer look at natural cotton; its density does not matter. Such decor looks expensive and stylish with translucent and transparent fabrics, for example, organza. Step-by-step instruction:

1. On the top layer we will draw figures under the stencil. A stencil can replace a round or oval object, which is simply outlined with chalk.
2. After applying the design, the material is carefully applied to the bottom layer. It must be firmly secured so that the fabric does not jump off or move during operation.You can use invisible pins.
3. Along the line drawn with chalk, you need to stitch two layers. This can be done manually or by machine. The Chanin brand uses exclusively handmade work, as can be seen from the original large stitches.
4. The central part of the applique is cut out with scissors. First, the center of the material is cut, then you should move to the edges and carefully follow the stitched line.
5. The result is a reverse appliqué. It can be decorated with beads, braid, rhinestones and other decorative elements.