q&a with natalie chanin
Mar 18, 2010 It is my very great honor today to welcome Natalie Chanin. If you don’t know Natalie’s work from her label Alabama Chanin, please head here right now. I have to admit, I have a couple of these pages bookmarked and I check in on my favorite designs from time to time when I need a visual hit of something singular and quieting and feminine.
Natalie just released her new book, Alabama Studio Style from STC Craft. It picks up where her first book, Alabama Stitch Book, left off. She was kind enough to take a break from her travels and answer some of my questions below.
KW: Hi Natalie, Welcome! I’m going to gush here because it’s the right thing to do. I met you a couple years ago when I walked into a studio in San Francisco where you were getting ready for a trunk show. I had only seen your work in photographs, then all of a sudden I stepped into a room full of racks of your dresses and skirts. To me, your clothes had such a presence in the room. It was almost like they hummed – or purred! – from every seam being loved into place. Which of course, they are because every aspect of your clothing line is done by hand: cutting, stitching, sewing, embellishing. So I wonder, do clothes feel different to you that haven’t been made by hand?
NC: Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so happy to be here and to be heading out your way very soon! I do feel what you write about in our clothing - being in the studio everyday is a luxury.
It is funny how spoiled you get after wearing our garments! I have a very hard time to find garments that meet all my requirements since starting my work with Alabama Chanin. Our pieces are just so comfortable, so easy to care for and designed to LIVE in a busy world and a busy life. I have become very demanding of my wardrobe. You know, most of our clients become repeat clients as they learn that a garment can truly become a part of your life.
And you know that old saying about “Loving Your Thread”… hard to measure but I certainly feel loved in a garment where every seam has been loved for me!
KW: I read your first book like it was a novel, cover to cover, and re-read the parts I especially loved. And this second book is no different. This time I finally took the plunge and am working on a tunic with the Angie’s Fall Stencil. After tracing and cutting the pattern and fabric, I arrived at the stenciling part. And I’m not going to lie to you, this part was a little terrifying, because I wanted it to work so very badly.
So I plunged in and then when I peeled the stencil back, I almost gasped – it was perfect. It looked and felt so real, so Alabama Chanin. What does it feel like as a designer to see your designs sort of fly the coop and have other people recreate them?
NC: This is absolutely the BEST part of the books… I love seeing how the books come alive in the hands of others!
KW: When I tell people what I’m working on, I hear a lot of, Oh I could never do that. I don’t have the patience, etc. And I want to blurt out that I love an instant-gratification project as much as the next harried person. But you deconstruct the process of making these garments so well. What do you say to cheer people along who think they could never complete one of your projects?
NC: Until you try it, you don’t really understand the completely calming effect of working on these pieces and sewing by hand. Working in this way is so calming and you don’t appreciate it until you actually take up needle and thread.
It is more the other way around – after working this way, you have very little patience for other things… smile.
Click here to continue reading Natalie's answers and insight into her process of creating such beautiful work. Trust me, you want to read more of this woman's thoughts on life and sewing!
alabama studio style, natalie chanin, q&a in etc, q&a
Reader Comments (7)
Every single piece of her clothing looks delicious. This is a great interview!
I just love Natalie Chanin's vision and work. I have the Alabama Stitch Book and I find so much inspiration there. I would love to win the new book!
I have long loved Alabama Chanin's work, and I love reading more about her here. She is a delight. Thank you to you both.
Oh my gosh, what a lady. I think I am ready to take the plunge and try hand stitching -- if only to be more like Natalie!
What a lovely post! I'm so happy that I clicked here (via stc craft's blog) today! Thank you for sharing your thoughtfulness. I feel that I must go out and stitch now.
Everything is so beautiful! It reminds me that I need to be more mindful of the textures and patterns I love and to create with love (whatever I'm creating - even if it is only tea or dinner!) Thanks!
LOVE this. I haven't heard of Natalie before - she hadn't reached me in Australia before - but now I want her book/s! Hmm. I've got a birthday coming up....