Reverse applique corset a la Alabama Chanin

I finally finished my first Alabama Chanin piece while on Christmas vacation. I used some jersey cotton from my stash. It is a very intense red and purple. It was initially only planned to try out the techniques, but as it turns out I really love the color combination.

If you haven't heard of Alabama Chanin yet make sure you go and check out the website. I absolutely love the designs, and if I could afford it my whole wardrobe would be Alabama Chanin Style. 

This corset is from the book "Alabama Chanin Stitch Book"

So far I have two of the three books, but the third one is high up on my wishlist.

This corset is completely hand stitched. 

I love that the designer, Natalie Chanin, shares the how-to for her designs with everyone not only through her books, but also offers the original supplies in her online store. And beyond that offers workshops at her factory in Alabama. I wish I could attend one someday! (I don't get paid to write this, I am just a huge fan obsessed with her designs :)

Anyway, back to my corset. I didn't have any spray paint to transfer the stencil design on the fabric. Instead I used a Sharpie marker. For my next project I will use the stenciling technique from the book.

 The reverse applique was fun to work with. It took quite a while until I had all pattern pieces ready to be assembled. The actual construction was surprisingly fast. A really nice project to do in front of the TV.

For the reverse applique the pattern pieces have to be cut out twice, once in each color. Then the pieces are layered upon each other. The stencil should be applied to the top layer before cutting. After the pattern pieces are layered it is to be stitched around the shapes of the applied stencil, and after that one has to cut out the top layer fabric 1/8 inch away from the stitching line so the second layer shows. Once all pattern pieces are embellished this way the top can be constructed.

I used the cretan stitch to sew the binding on. I still have to work on more even stitches, but I love how it turned out.