Category: ‘F’ for Fabric

Ritzy Stripe Chair

I upholstered one chair as a test in Amy Butler’s Ritzy Stripe fabric.

It looks great, but I’m not sure what to do for the rest of the room. Creamy white walls and a green ceiling? A green rug?

Photos of Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films offices (in the April ’08 issue of Domino) have been making the rounds on the design blogs recently, and I love the curtains in Nancy Juvonen’s office.

Perhaps I could do something similar, but with green or black trim.

I’m also still obsessed with the black and white rug I saw during my recent IKEA visit. Is it too much with the chair pattern? I know, it probably is. Maybe I’d use the rug and then go with a solid chair fabric.

Yes? The colors go better together than they appear to in the photos above. I think the different scales of the patterns might work together (maybe?).

Why is this the one room where I can’t make a decision? Meh.

March 19, 2008
A Collar “Cozy”

I made something stupid for Murray this afternoon.

What’s that boy? Yes, it does look silly.

I sewed a little scrap of fabric into a sort of neckerchief…

And then I closed the middle up and inserted the collar.

Now it’s a collar cozy.

I figured it would be better than the plain black collar Murray’s been wearing, which I suppose it is. Also, the ring for the leash is accessible and his ID tags stick out.

I should just order a real collar from Lindsay over at Pattern & Paw. Probably this one.

Green IS Murray’s color, you know.

For now though, Murray will have to be content with his cozy.

*edit*
Lindsay offered 15% off at Pattern & Paw in the comments, but I thought I’d point it out up here too! Enter ‘nicoleislovely’ at checkout for the discount. Thanks, Lindsay!

March 17, 2008
Amy Butler Fabric in the Dining Room

Looks pretty good.

Ritzy Stripe (the zigzags) on the chairs, and Primrose (the other fabric) for curtains? It’s lacking some ‘oomph’ though. Maybe that wall color is too dark.

I wish those zigzags came in hot pink. Or pink and aubergine!

March 12, 2008
Rearranging the Dining Room Hutch

This is what the hutch looks like right now:

And this was it before:

When I took everything out and laid it all on the table, it looked a little like my own personal flea market. It was fun to choose what would make it back in.

The fabric that I tacked to the back of the hutch doesn’t quite reach all the way from top to bottom, but Reprodepot sells Marimekko’s Satula by the repeat (32″) instead of by the yard, and I only bought one repeat.

I painted the little section of the wall between the buffet and the door with Behr’s “Butternut Wood”. What do you think? I like the color, but what do I paint the ceiling? The only colors in the fabric to play off of are pink and green, so pink? Or maybe a lighter shade of the green wall color?

I might go with something else… I’m not sure yet. I have some of the Amy Butler fabric that I posted here on the way, and there are still lots of other fabrics I’m considering. I do like the idea of pinning the fabric to the back of the hutch though – I think that turned out well!

March 5, 2008
Paint & Fabric Instead of Wallpaper?

I hated the blue upholstery on the new dining room chairs (I’m just not a big fan of the color). I peeked underneath and saw green, so I decided to take off the blue fabric. I figured the fabric underneath would either be gross and need to be recovered (which would be fine), or it would be in good condition, having only been covered up for a change of color. Luckily it was in pretty good shape.

I rolled up the orange rug that was in the dining room and in it’s place I put the rug I’d been using in the living room. It’s not my favorite, but it’s neutral. It’s a pretty close match for the couch color, so it does bring a little continuity between the two rooms (like the orange rug and chair did).

One armchair is still blue because Mabel’s always sleeping on it and she looks so content I don’t want to move her. Kili is on another chair in that photo – in fact, there’s a cat on at least one of the chairs approximately 82% of the time.

I’ve been looking into upholstery weight fabric, and I’ve found some great options. I love Amy Butler’s Primrose Lime from her Nigella line:

Maybe with a table runner made out of her coordinating Ritzy Stripe?

Anna Maria Horner also has some great fabric that will be coming out soon:

Then of course, there’s Tantsu and Satula, both by Marimekko. Oh, how I love them. I wrote a haiku about them last year.

Tantsu:

Satula:

I ordered a yard of Satula, and I love it even more in person. So… I’m thinking of using paint and fabric instead of wallpaper for the dining room.

The chevron wallpaper from Romo would have been “the one”, had I decided to keep the west elm table. The chunky, squared off lines of the parsons table offset the graphic zing of the zigzags. The new table and chairs are beautiful, but not with that wallpaper.

I thinking of putting the large (huge!) scale Satula fabric in the back of the hutch. I could cover some luaun, or maybe just use little thumbtacks. I’d paint the walls a somewhat dark olivey/brown color, and then make curtains out of Tantsu. I can always use the curtains in another room if the right wallpaper comes along.

Of course, this would also work with any of the other fabrics too. And I don’t mind recovering the seats if the green doesn’t work out.

Thoughts?

February 29, 2008
Ashley & Her New Purse

My sister and I finally finished her purse!

It turned out really well. It’s so cute! We followed the instructions for the “Charming Handbag” from Amy Karol’s Bend-the-Rules Sewing.

(more…)

January 30, 2008