The Geometry of Hand-Sewing : A Romance in Stitches and Embroidery from Alabama Chanin and the School of Making
Overview
In The Geometry of Hand-Sewing, Natalie Chanin and her Alabama Chanin and The School of Making teams present their breakthrough method, featuring illustrated instructions (for both right- and left-handed stitchers) for more than 100 stitches.
Their lessons range from the most basic straight and chain to the more fanciful feather and herringbone; photos of both right and wrong sides; and guidelines for modifying stitches to further increase one's repertoire. As makers, we tend to learn different stitches over time without thinking much about how they relate to one another. But when Natalie Chanin and her Alabama Chanin and The School of Making teams began to look at needlework closely, they realized all stitches are based on geometric grid systems--and by using grids as guides, they could make learning stitches, even seemingly elaborate ones, as easy as child's play. Chapters include:- A New Way to Think about Sewing and Embroidery
- For the Love of Tools
- Basic Stitches
- Enhancing Stitches
- Manipulating Grids
- Patterned Stitches
There is also an Index of Design Choices and a Stitch Index. To simplify learning, the book includes two plastic stitching cards die-cut with the grids on which every stitch in the book is based. These reusable cards can be stitched through for practicing (just as children use lacing cards to learn to tie shoes) or used as stencils for transferring grids to fabric. Chanin writes in her introduction, "The art of making can change your life, help you become a more informed consumer, and aid you in passing on important knowledge to the next generation. I know that I am my best self when I am making and sharing. I hope the lessons in this book will instill you with confidence, deepen your love for the arts of hand sewing and embroidery, and inspire you to share your love of making with others."
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9781419726637
- ISBN-10: 1419726633
- Publisher: Abrams Books
- Publish Date: November 2017
- Dimensions: 10.8 x 9 x 0.6 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
- Page Count: 144
Related Categories
Lifestyles: Well threaded in winter
Since it’s January and all, I thought I’d highlight two crafts that can keep us content indoors, beneath a cozy blanket: sewing and knitting. Stitch Camp: 18 Crafty Projects for Kids & Tweens presents the full gamut of fiber-based crafts to a young audience—at least that’s the intention—but I’d argue it’s an equally welcoming guide for any novice with needles. Do I want to take my first tentative stitches in creating a colorful beanbag that’s also a hand warmer? I do, indeed. All the better that my 9-year-old can learn alongside me. Other cute projects abound: felt envelopes, arm warmers, phone cozies and woven necklaces. Authors Nicole Blum and Catherine Newman point out the “solo or social” quality of fiber crafts, adding that while they’ve done their best to provide easy-to-follow instructions, “there is still no substitute for learning these skills from a real, live human.” With that in mind, a “fiber-fun” afternoon with my kiddo and her grandmother sounds like a date I need to put on the calendar.
THE PERFECT STITCH
Another new title to celebrate the art of needle and thread is Natalie Chanin’s The Geometry of Hand-Sewing: A Romance in Stitches and Embroidery from Alabama Chanin and the School of Making. Chanin is the creative force behind Alabama Chanin, her lifestyle company known for its commitment to sustainability and breathtakingly embroidered garments. Here, she passes her expertise onto readers, anchoring stitchery lessons in the useful tool of two plastic stitching cards, included in the back of the book. Not unlike old-school cardboard guides created to introduce children to sewing, these cards are based on a geometric grid system and can be used to practice stitches or to stencil patterns onto fabric. The stitches detailed here can be combined in any number of dazzling ways, but even Chanin’s simplest stitch could do wonders to a basic cotton T-shirt or scarf.
TOP PICK IN LIFESTYLES
Confession: I’m a hard sell on any book that purports to teach me how to cultivate joy and kindness, unplug or develop an attitude of gratitude. Excellent objectives, all! I’m just a reluctant student. Bear this in mind when I say that A Book That Takes Its Time: An Unhurried Adventure in Creative Mindfulness, based on Irene Smit and Astrid van der Hulst’s award-winning Dutch magazine Flow, wooed me with its smart design and abundance of what the editors call “goodies” that make it a paper product-lover’s interactive feast. This is way more than just a book: It’s loaded with pullouts like stickers, posters, small blank books, postcards and more. Each piece offers a simple way to live more mindfully and in the now. The layout and illustration styles change with each new article, giving the compendium a magazine-like feel. You can open it up anywhere and dive in—just do so slowly, as its creators encourage. Savor, reflect and breathe in that glorious smell of paper and glue!
This article was originally published in the January 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
Lifestyles: Well threaded in winter
Since it’s January and all, I thought I’d highlight two crafts that can keep us content indoors, beneath a cozy blanket: sewing and knitting. Stitch Camp: 18 Crafty Projects for Kids & Tweens presents the full gamut of fiber-based crafts to a young audience—at least that’s the intention—but I’d argue it’s an equally welcoming guide for any novice with needles. Do I want to take my first tentative stitches in creating a colorful beanbag that’s also a hand warmer? I do, indeed. All the better that my 9-year-old can learn alongside me. Other cute projects abound: felt envelopes, arm warmers, phone cozies and woven necklaces. Authors Nicole Blum and Catherine Newman point out the “solo or social” quality of fiber crafts, adding that while they’ve done their best to provide easy-to-follow instructions, “there is still no substitute for learning these skills from a real, live human.” With that in mind, a “fiber-fun” afternoon with my kiddo and her grandmother sounds like a date I need to put on the calendar.
THE PERFECT STITCH
Another new title to celebrate the art of needle and thread is Natalie Chanin’s The Geometry of Hand-Sewing: A Romance in Stitches and Embroidery from Alabama Chanin and the School of Making. Chanin is the creative force behind Alabama Chanin, her lifestyle company known for its commitment to sustainability and breathtakingly embroidered garments. Here, she passes her expertise onto readers, anchoring stitchery lessons in the useful tool of two plastic stitching cards, included in the back of the book. Not unlike old-school cardboard guides created to introduce children to sewing, these cards are based on a geometric grid system and can be used to practice stitches or to stencil patterns onto fabric. The stitches detailed here can be combined in any number of dazzling ways, but even Chanin’s simplest stitch could do wonders to a basic cotton T-shirt or scarf.
TOP PICK IN LIFESTYLES
Confession: I’m a hard sell on any book that purports to teach me how to cultivate joy and kindness, unplug or develop an attitude of gratitude. Excellent objectives, all! I’m just a reluctant student. Bear this in mind when I say that A Book That Takes Its Time: An Unhurried Adventure in Creative Mindfulness, based on Irene Smit and Astrid van der Hulst’s award-winning Dutch magazine Flow, wooed me with its smart design and abundance of what the editors call “goodies” that make it a paper product-lover’s interactive feast. This is way more than just a book: It’s loaded with pullouts like stickers, posters, small blank books, postcards and more. Each piece offers a simple way to live more mindfully and in the now. The layout and illustration styles change with each new article, giving the compendium a magazine-like feel. You can open it up anywhere and dive in—just do so slowly, as its creators encourage. Savor, reflect and breathe in that glorious smell of paper and glue!
This article was originally published in the January 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.