New Alabama Book!

I posted a big list of new books recently, but I’ve got to tell you about just one more. I ordered one of woodsman Ben Law’s books for Strider for Valentine’s day and to get free shipping from Amazon, I needed to spend another $3.00. They always get me with that. Anyway, I kinda had to buy myself the new Natalie Chanin book, "Alabama Studio Style”:

Her second book is even better than ‘The Alabama Stitch Book”, if that is possible. Beautiful, inventive projects, tasty looking -but not too many -recipes. (Am I gushing enough?) An incredible, hopeful book. I find Chanin’s ideas about slow design, and sustainable work compelling and sincere. No green-washing here. While I understand her company’s rationale for moving away from using recycled tee shirts and to using organic, made in the USA yardage, I’ll probably keep using recycled tees when I can find them-they are far less expensive, and make sense for the amount of projects I am making. However, the dresses in this new book would require many tee shirts, happily I bought yards and yards of knit fabric on clearance just before Christmas for Alabama stitchin’, I think it will be made into a  dress for the summer. How lovely to remember a time when such a garment will be appropriate-no tights, no down jacket.

Another project that caught my eye is the "couch saver" pictured in the book as a headboard throw:

So lovely.