Friday, July 27, 2018

Alabama Chanin Embellished Top

For my third AC fitted top, I decided to delve into the wonderful world of embellishment with beads, sequins and decorative stitching.

Stencil:
June’s  Spring stencil

This can be enlarged from the book Alabama Studio Sewing + Design or downloaded as a PDF file at the AC online store.

I transferred the stencil to a Mylar film then cut with the Wall Lenk stencil cutter. More details on that can be found in my first AC post here.

Fabric:






For the front, I layered a medium weight organic cotton knit with a lightweight one. For the back I used a single layer of medium weight.

Fabric Paint:

I mixed two shades of Createx  fabric paint in 1:1 ratio. The shades I used were sand and opaque white.

Thread and needle:




 For the first time I tried the Wawak brand of button and craft thread. At $4.99 per spool of 500 yards, it was cheaper than the Coats and Clark. The former is labeled Tex 105 and the latter Tex 104 so the Wawak brand is even stronger and has more color choices. As for needle, I used John James Betweens size 9.

Beads and Sequins: 


I used a variety of seed beads, bugle beads and flat sequins in colors I thought were complementary to the fabrics. Some were purchased at Etsy and some from Beadaholique.com.

Process:

1) Stencil the fabric.


2. Backstitch the circles around the stenciled edges.




3. Embellish

Beads, reverse applique.








Appliques, decorative stitches.



And here are photos of the finished garment.






















16 comments:

  1. This is georgous! Very, very beautiful!

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  2. This is so pretty. I love the colours all together and a labour or love.

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    1. Thank you so much! It was such a fun project but it definitely required patience.

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  3. Goodness, this is truly a labour of lovely How lovely Maria!Your attention to detail is breathtaking.

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    1. Thank you so much Diane! I truly appreciate the kind words!

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  4. Wonderful design those beads really add that little bit extra. Looks lovely on you - fit, colour, everything.

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    1. Thank you so much! I had to be careful not to go overboard with the bling.

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  5. Just a lovely work of art! Congrats on inspiring all of us to embellish with such beauty!

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  6. Your top is exquisitely, staggeringly gorgeous. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to ask how you plan to maintain it. I may be too practical, but only because I made two AC tops with beads, and launder them by hand, but they haven't fared well. Neither do I trust a dry cleaner not to break the beads. I realize that this makes me no fun at all, and I don't mean to dampen your enthusiasm. Perhaps, you have a secret that works for you? In any case, I very much admire your artistry.

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    1. Thank you Ann! I just plan to hand wash. I have a couple of embellished tops from J. Crew that are heavily beaded on a single layer of thin cotton knit and so far they have held well to washing. I’m hopeful this won’t be any different. I don’t plan to wear this as often as the other two AC tops I’ve sewn before this as it’s a little bit dressy. I have earmarked it for some special occasions that are forthcoming. Sorry to hear about what happened to your tops. If my beads or sequins break, I’ll just have to replace them, lol!

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    2. Of course, they are works of art. You enjoy making them, we enjoy seeing them, and a lovingly made work of art to wear deserves whatever care is required to maintain it.

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    3. Thanks Ann! That’s a great way to look at it.

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  7. This is so nicely done! Love it!

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