For over a year, I waited — anticipated — attending the Alabama Chanin 3-Day Workshop in November. I'd signed up almost immediately when it was announced, and it wasn't long before Kym decided to join me.
We met at the airport in Nashville and drove to Florence, AL, home of Alabama Chanin.
We settled into our comfy Airbnb, found a place for dinner, and awaited Workshop Day #1.
It was pretty great. Each of the participants (9 of us) had our own work table with basic supplies and materials. The clothing racks beyond held simple, unembellished examples of every DIY garment in every size for trying on. I was a bit smitten with the collection of chairs — those shown here, as well as throughout The Factory & Cafe — as I've been something of a collector myself (to the point that Rusty called a moratorium on chairs some years ago)!
In addition, there were other garment racks, which I've shown before, that held embellished pieces in various colors & designs, which we could also try on.
"The Factory" is just that. Located in a large factory/warehouse type building, one very large space is divvied up with partial walls/partitions and curtains into spaces for retail, cafe, office, shipping, social media, design, fabric handling, stenciling, cutting, sewing, production, etc. Pretty much everyone, perhaps with the exception of some cafe staff, is at least knowledgeable — but most likely has also performed — every process/task/job within the company. It's pretty incredible, really. Natalie Chanin has employed some of the principles of Zingerman's Community of Businesses in the development of her own Alabama Chanin Family of Businesses, which include The School of Making, The Factory Cafe and Store, and Bldg. 14.
I could go to work in that factory everyday!
On that first day, we went over design possibilities, toured the factory, tried on garments, pored over swatch books, and each made decisions about the garment we wanted to make.
I chose the Car Jacket, with the June's Spring stencil design.
We also had lunch at the Factory Cafe.
I just had to have a Pimento Cheese sandwich!
And then I took about a million pictures of the June's Spring section of the swatch books!
Those are all the same design, worked in different colors and in different/similar ways… all serving to blow my mind!
And then I took about a million more pictures of the exact same thing.
And also the next day. And again the day after that.
I could have spent three full days just looking at those swatch books, to be honest.
I mean, look at that!!
With our orders being processed, we had a little free time before meeting up with the other participants for a local tour and dinner. Kym and I decided we had just enough time to dash out for a visit to The Wall, aka, Tom Hendrix's Wall, aka Te-lah-nay's Wall.
It's an incredible place, with an incredible story.
Peaceful, beautiful, contemplative, surprising.
We could have spent a lot more time there, too, but I'm thankful we were able to find the time to visit at all. We went back to Florence and met our group at The Shoals Gold Record Room to board a trolley and go on a Swampette Tour of FAME and Muscle Shoals studios.
I had been looking forward to that for a while, having even made a special playlist way back in August, and it was truly fantastic — everyone enjoyed it and most weren't music nerds! Our tour guide was Judy Hood, a Swampette by virtue of having married one David Hood, bass player and original member of The Swampers, and true enthusiast of music*, the history of the music and these studios in The Shoals, community, preservation, and more. She was a delight!
Workshop Days 2 & 3 were spent exploring and learning more about garment construction and techniques. We had some lovely meals at The Factory Cafe (breakfast+lunch, brunch), and met Natalie; we had front-row seats at a talk/presentation she gave about the company's history. Everyone we met during the workshop was really wonderful — Olivia, Maggie, Erin, Corey, Leslie, Bonnie, Diane (to name a few). Oh, to return someday… I still dream about the week-long workshops (either one, or both)!
On Sunday, Kym & I drove back to Nashville and another lovely Airbnb, first stopping to take photos of a cotton field. I had never seen anything like it before, though, if you cover the bottom part of that photo with your hand, it looks an awful lot like the snow-covered farm fields with which I am familiar!
We stopped at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens on the way for a much-needed walk & nature break, and it was simply gorgeous.
I was more than a little intrigued by at least parts of these pique assiette mosaic pieces (the term for which I learned just now — who knew?).
It was certainly not the most beautiful time of year to visit a garden, but it was far from ugly; I don't think there's ever an "ugly" season in a well-designed garden. They were just beginning to ready their holiday displays, so we even got a little peek at some of the lighted garden features (which were pretty cool even in afternoon light).
I winged my way home and have barely had a chance to catch my breath since… Ali's shop remodel started the very next day, I'm trying to help with the kids as much as I can, Thanksgiving came & went, there was an ill-timed but previously planned (and much enjoyed) trip to Saint Louis, holiday party season is upon us, and Christmas is… what? 18 days away? Will I get my tree up???
I truly enjoyed every minute of that trip. I caught my breath only once at the beginning, when I realized that I'd be spending nearly a week with a woman that I'd previously met for lunch and a beer and to look at some art for a couple of hours, but we couldn't have gotten along better, and it was fun getting to know more about each other.
I've barely had time to even look at my Car Jacket project… ideas are percolating, and it'll be there when I'm ready!
*except rap. She told us that Dr. Dre/Beats Electronics is a supporter of the Muscle Shoals Music Foundation and that, as a grateful member of the board, she supposed she should learn to like it! More than a few of us suggested that Hamilton would be a good place to start! 😉
