“Untitled”, 1947 by Ruth Asawa at Black Mountain College; Keyhole Dress Kit from The School of Making; Left: “Group IX/UW, The Dove, No. 12”; Right: “Group IX/UW, The Dove, No. 13” from The SUW/UW Series, 1915 by Hilma af Klint. Photograph from Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future, 2018 by Tracey Baskhoff for The Guggenheim (pages 156-157); “The Ettore Sottsass Pavillion at the Museo dell’Arredo Contemporaneo, Ravenna, Italy”, 1988 via the Musei Italiani; Waffle Caftan from Alabama Chanin; Color Palette Bundle #3 from The School of Making.
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou
At Alabama Chanin and The School of Making, we thrive in a creative environment, continuously searching out inspiration from artists, designers, makers, and each other. Natalie’s library, amassed with a collection of readings and visual eye-candy, is a wealth of creative inspiration and tells a story of her decades-long design career.
Above and below, find samplings from her library, color inspirations, artists’ works, and accompanying designs for our recent fabric and notion bundle—Color Palette Bundle #3—along with some new offerings from The School of Making. Read back on the Journal to learn more about our Year of Color and the Color Palette Bundle inspiration.
Find our newest DIY Kits, the Keyhole Dress Kit and Embroidered Eyelet Swing Skirt Kit.
Explore the Color Palette Bundle #3 here.
Pair our new Bead Mixes—#1 and #2— to your Color Palette Bundle (or any of your projects.)
Share your projects with us on Instagram by using the hashtags #theschoolofmaking and #TSOM20in20 for a chance to have your work featured.
The Jumpsuit Kit in Peacock from The School of Making; “Confetti Print” by Rinne Allen from Beauty Everyday, 2013 by Rinne Allen, Kristen Bach, and Rebecca Wood; Magdalena Ballet Fabric Swatch from The School of Making; Abstract Peacock Printed Cotton Jersey from The School of Making; The Long Skirt DIY Kit in Anna’s Garden Ballet from The School of Making; “Untitled”, 1961–1964 by Lee Bontecou from Lee Bontecou, 2017 by Benno Tempel, Laura Stamps, Jeremy Melius, and Joan Banach (pages 38–39).
Magdalena Peacock Fabric Swatch from The School of Making; The A-Line Top + Tunic Kit in Abstract Peacock from The School of Making; Silver Bugle Beadsfrom Bead Mix #2 from The School of Making; Embroidery Floss in Goldenrod, Cream, and Navy from Color Palette Bundle #3 from The School of Making; Reverse Appliqué Magdalena Fabric Swatch in Ballet/Natural from the A-Line Dress Kit from The School of Making; “The Intermediate – Asymmetric Quadrupedal Bushy-Head”, 2016 by Haegue Yang from Green Naftali Gallery.
From West Texas Cloud Appreciation Society;Tomorrowland “Fall/Winter 2008 Catalog” (page 36); Chop Beads in Gold from Bead Mix #1 from The School of Making; The Ezra Kit in Abstract Peacock/Navy from The School of Making; The Tank from Alabama Chanin’s Leisure Collection; “Detail”, 2003 by Ryan McGinness from Ryan McGinness: Project Rainbow (page 91); “Desert Surface #1”, 1991 from Vija Celmins: To Fix the Image in Memory, 2018 by Ian Alteveer for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in association with Yale University Press (pages 194–195).
Embroidered Eyelet Swing Skirt Kit in Navy from The School of Making; Abstract Ballet/White Fabric Swatch in Reverse Appliqué from the Cropped Car Jacket Kit from The School of Making; The Asymmetrical Peacoat Kit in Abstract Peacock from The School of Making; The Rib Dress from Alabama Chanin; Embroidery Floss in Peacock from The School of Making; Left: “frankfurt autobahn”, 2002; Right: “tunnelview by ad”, 2001 from M: Transforming Language 2002, by Thomas Marecki, (pages 72–73).