I finished this project just before we set off for Summer travels and I am just delighted now that autumn is approaching to have it ready and waiting for the cooler days ahead. I’m a little bit in catch up mode with journal postings so you may have seen this on instagram a few weeks ago, but I wanted to document it in a little bit more detail as it is just such a lovely thing. If you know me at all, you will know that I am a passionate supporter of Alabama Chanin and the work ethic that Natalie Chanin promotes. Her books are never far away from me at home and I can quite happily curl up in bundle and browse these pages endlessly. The website is wonderful, brimming with inspiration and interesting articles about sustainability and textiles. This project though has been a while in the making. A couple of years ago, I bought a sample pack of stencilled fabrics from the Alabama Chanin website. This is not necessarily such an easy feat when you live in the UK, but I did receive them and paid the customs charge and was wondering if it would be worth it.

The pack was substantial containing a whole range of colours and each stencilled panel and a correlating plain panel to put underneath to create the effect of the ‘reverse appliqué’ technique that is so synonymous with Alabama Chanin style. I seleted 5 panels in a mixture of colours. Initially I picked red…what a surprise! but later changed to a more pinky theme to accessorise with a winter bag. My panels were cerise, burgundy, pale pink, black and cream.

They are simple and mediative to work. You stitch an even running stitch around the shapes joining the two panels together. Then you simply cut away some of the stencilled areas to create this beautiful effect of traced shapes with layers.

You need super sharp scissors and a steady hand, but the effect is just so lovely and the fact that there are two layers of this lovely natural cotton jersey make it feel soft and yet substantial.

I worked the other panels and the scarf started to take shape. It is a relaxing thing to do and I loved having the knots showing to add some artistic and tactile depth to the project. I know this not everyone’s style, but I love it and love the handcrafted look it gives. As it is a scarf that will be twisted around you, it is important that the back to be as beautiful as the front so it is crucial to keep the stitching even on both sides. Sometimes if you don’t put the needle into the fabric with a straight down action, it can skew and make the underneath stitch much smaller than you would want for effect. You also have to watch out for loops and knots on the underside as this can easily happen and would spoil the overall look when you wear it.

A note on the thread used ; it is the thick cotton ‘button craft’ thread from Alabama Chanin and they do this in a variety of colours. It is strong and defining when you stitch with it and I like this effect. You may wonder also about the fact that it has raw edges showing and this is perfectly fine because the Jersey shouldn’t fray. The whole thing whips up into a perfect storm of hand sewn magic.

I did machine the panels together as I wanted a neat and more importantly, strong seam so that I can wrap and drape it about as needed.

While I fully appreciate this look is not for everyone, it is an unusual scarf that I personally will love to wear this coming autumn. It just adds that touch of bohemian flair to a fairly plain and simple outfit and yet there is a hint of sophistication about it too. If you visit Alabama Chanin’s website (link below) you will see that this is the style of their work - their ready made collections are simply stunning, combining sustainable fashion with a catwalk look. My scarf is cosy and comfortable to wear and seems to blend in effortlessly with my wardrobe. I love putting ensembles together and this combination of a H&M bargain jacket and my embassy shoes just seems hunky dory to me.

I have quite a lot of panels left in different colours and am not sure what I will do with them, perhaps another scarf in blues and greens. It’s to think about, which is just the way I love my sewing room to be. See you soon for another ‘Postcard’ this time with a real literary feel.

Toodle..ooo, Ruby xx

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Making an Alabama Chanin patchwork scarf

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