Starry, Starry Skies....a hand sewn poncho

Hey there,

With the kitchen revamp taking up alot (ALOT!) of time, I haven't been doing much sewing over the last month, but I did manage to sneak in a little hand sewing for a return to my adventures as a novice dressmaker, although I am not a hundred percent sure that you could call this project dressmaking.   As you guys know, I am a huge fan of Alabama Chanin.  Natalie Chanin's eco clothing and design company is just amazing.  Totally original with a whole new approach to sewing, I find her ideas and work ethic inspirational.  I made a whole Alabama Chanin outfit a few months ago and as a 'novice dressmaker' was completely swept away with it.   Completely hand sewn, it is a joy to wear and was a joy to make too.  If you want to catch up, you can read all about that by clicking on the category on the left hand side "Adventures of a Novice Dressmaker'.  

With up and coming holidays in mind, I decided that making a poncho seemed like a useful and fun thing to tackle for my next adventure.  The pattern and instructions are in Alabama Chanin's book of Sewing patterns and it is a simple straightforward make.   I had some grey  cotton jersey and decided that this would set the tone for the project.  A little Scandinavian flavour perhaps with the idea that it could be dressed up for evening or dressed down for a really pretty casual look.   Leafing through the pages of the Alabama Stitch book (pretty much my every evening bedtime book), I was overwhelmed with the endless possibilities for embellishing this garment.  I decided to try some beading and to use my favourite motif - the star. 

 I scattered and layered my stars in little constellations on the fabric, a bit strategically placed for effect, but quite relaxed.  I mixed and matched grey and white and used several different sizes of templates.  As I started to hand appliqué them on, I had so much fun, making each one different.  Using a variety of stitches, beads and sequins, I soon had a stellar array before me.

There are 25 hand sewn stars in total and every one is unique.   I got more and more adventurous.  I think this one is my favourite.

It is really such a charming thing to have.   I can see I might be making some more for Christmas presents......