Natalie Chanin, founder and creative director of Alabama Chanin, (a wonderful line of handcrafted organic clothing and DIY kits) is in the Bay area this week. She visited A Verb for Keeping Warm to conduct a fabric and stitching ‘tasting’ with stenciled and plain organic cotton jersey, floss, and beads.
About 30+ people geeked out with fabric swatches and stitched and sewed as we listened to Natalie talk about growing her business, sourcing and growing organic cotton, textile manufacturing in the U.S.,  the state of Alabama,  and some of her future plans.

Natalie’s stories on the importance of making things and making and buying things locally vs. a far off land particularly resonated.  Food, shelter, clothes…know where it comes from, and who makes it because they’re essential to our lives. While we listened we all got a chance to play with generous swatches of Alabama Chanin jersey.   And I ogled the hand stitched samples worn by many of my neighboring sewists. As well as sewn by fellow stitchers.