Swatch of the Month and Build a Wardrobe showed us that introducing DIY programming in installments allows you to make in a steady rhythm, and it gives us to time to thoughtfully plan our content for the year. Our 2014 and 2015 Swatch of the Month programs went over incredibly well with our maker community, and we thank you for your enthusiasm, creativity, and support.
This year, to expand our swatch programming, we will offer four limited-edition Design Bundles, introducing a new one each quarter and only available for that quarter. These Design Bundles are pre-selected fabric and notions intended to help you design and to grow your home design studio.
Around the studio, we call our swatches sample blocks. Each swatch starts the same way, as a basic 10” x 16” rectangle of our organic cotton jersey. Then, each one is embellished with stencils, embroidery, beading, and/or appliqué. Natalie creates a sample block to use as a visual for her textile designs. These samples blocks are the basis for all our designs, which live in swatch books in our Fabric Library at The Factory.
If you would like help planning your next project (before starting on an entire garment), we encourage you to experiment with our Design Bundles first and use them to become more comfortable designing. The completed sample blocks will allow you to start your own swatch book, and can also be used for a variety of small projects, like journal covers or pillows, or to simply frame and hang as a piece of art in your home or workspace.
For the first quarter, we are pairing the much-loved Anna’s Garden stencil with a new stencil design: Daisy. We invite you to use our pre-selected colors, get creative, and develop your own textile designs. Alabama Studio Sewing + Design features many embroidery techniques that you can use for inspiration.
What you get:
- Design Bundle Color Card
- 10 – 10” x 16” swatches of organic cotton jersey (two of each) in White, Sand, Light Indigo, Dark Indigo, and Navy, as your bottom layer
- 5 – 10” x 16” swatches of organic cotton jersey (one of each) in White, Sand, Light Indigo, Dark Indigo, and Navy, stenciled in Anna’s Garden, to use as your top layer
- 5 – 10” x 16” swatches of organic cotton jersey (one of each) in White, Sand, Light Indigo, Dark Indigo, and Navy, stenciled in Daisy, to use as your top layer
- Choose between tonal or metallic paint
- 5 spools of Button Craft Thread in White, Cream, Dogwood, Slate, and Navy
- 5 spools of Embroidery Floss in White, Natural, Silt, Storm Blue, and Navy
- 5 vials of Beads: White Armor, Satin Grey Bugle, Silver Chop, Dark Grey Sequin, and Dark Grey Chop
P.S.: While we take inspiration from our subscription programming, Design Bundles are sold separately each quarter.