Ambers Pillow Project: Beauty and the Beast

My friend and fellow blogger Amber

 AKA "The Girl is Craftee"

 asked if I could help her with some pillows

 for her living room sectional

We started off with this really wonderful linen floral drapery panel that Amber found on Ebay...I don't recall what she paid, but I don't think they were very expensive. 

 The down side was that they were not all that large either. 

 We needed to do some creative thinking to make good use of the fabric.

I played around with a few ideas and sent the rendering above off to her, for review.

Amber really wanted to incorporate some graphic old grain sacks into the mix. 

 She purchased these from Wendy at Textile Trunk and Wendy shipped them directly to me.

The only fabric Amber actually saw before we finished was the drapery!

 The dark orange graphic mixed with the green corn stalk was perfect with the drapery colors.

I originally thought I would used just solid linen for the rear of the pillows and the trim, but as luck would have it...I found 3 yards of this beautiful Benison stripe at my upholsterer. 

 This fabric normally would retail for around $200 per yard but I got it for $25!!!!!!

 I used the flanged welt on these that I love 

and mixed and matched with extra left over fabric.

So here is what we started with:

2 small linen drapery panels (approx. 2 yds)

2.5 yards of Bennison linen floral

3 grain sacks

And here is what we got:

4  22x22 Vintage floral with the Bennison stripe on the rear and a floral welt

2  22x22 Striped pillows in the Bennison stripe with a vintage floral welt

2  18x24 Grain sack pillows with the orange graphic

1 24x24 Grain sack pillow with the corn stalk

We got 9 pillows total,

 in various sizes, but all very large

We needed large pillows because this sectional is HUGE!

Amber affectionately refers to it as, 

the "Beast"

Now we have some beauty with our beast,

don't ya think!

Thanks so much Amber 

for sharing your wonderful home with us!

If you would like some help with a pillow project similar to this;

Just zip me off an email and I will send you a price list.

And thanks so much for stopping by too!

~kelley~

Fabric Ideas for Pillows

Vintage fabric is a true love of mine.  

Wendy Lewis always has the best selection of vintage fabrics  anywhere and I bought a nice assortment for some new pillows.

The black floral is a french quilt top and will need backing because it is so sheer, but the colors are amazing.  Pinks and some salmon with a dark  black background.

She had a few new feed sacks in black...I know I know......but I couldn't help it!  

The pretty French ticking looks great with the print as well.  

It has a cream back ground and the stripe is sort of unusual, which I liked.

I usually back the pillows with this great hemp that she sells in large rolls.  The down side, is that it is not all that wide, so if you are doing larger projects you will need to seam the fabric together.

I like to throw the fabric on the bed or the floor and take a look at it all together, to edit and see how it will all look.

This soft purple orchid floral looks so pretty with the sweater weave pillows

I bought this really bold Indienne floral too.  Wendy told me this was one of her favorites from her last trip to France.  It is from the 1880's and in untouched condition.  Its has a strong coco brown ground with the pink coral and gold floral motif.  She has more if you like this!

Project #2 is Americana inspired. 

 The little tea stained american flag is new but will sew up into a wonderful pillow. 

 I like the brass grommets! 

 The blue stripe is a vintage American ticking duvet cover.

I had another stenciled sack to put with this grouping too

What also caught my eye is how the french floral looked with this group.  The gold from the flag ties these together and will be very fun if I end up using them that way.

What a great combo!

Well, I'm off to visit the Upholstery guy and I will share the results in a week or so. 

 Don't forget to visit Wendy.   You will love her store!

~*~

kelley

PS:  Hope all the MOM's had a wonderful day yesterday

Vintage Fabric: Color and Contrast in Pillows

I recently purchased a wonderful set of French drapery panels from Wendy Lewis at Textile Trunk. They are an amazing vibrant teal with really rich deep blues and pinks. I maximized the use of the fabric by backing them in a solid linen and then tried them in various locations in my little media room. Much to my surprise they felt really warm and cozy without being to feminine.
I have had the chairs in the teal damask for a while. They are Barclay Buttera Home. The punch from the floral was really interesting.
The Chinoise lamps also compliment nicely. I had the shades done in purple, yes purple linen.
The starting off point for this room was really the purchase of the oil above the fireplace by Jean Jack. I own two of her pieces and I love them both. She paints primarily houses and barns and uses bold angles and colors. You can visit her web site to view more of her paintings or visit her gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Here's another view of the lamps with the purple shades. The console is an antique pine cupboard with a black stain.
The sofa, also from Buttera is tobacco linen and pairs nicely with the teal colors and the use of baskets. I used grass cloth on the walls from Phillip Jeffries in a natural color and simple weave. The basket coffee table is Ralph Lauren
Yes those are bread boards....a new collection. I know, kill me now...please!
The little reading lamp is Fortuny. It was a splurge but is an amazing piece and just glows in the evening. The sisal rug is from the Ralph Lauren flooring collection and can also be installed as carpet.

Here are some other shots of floral mixed with ticking and feed sack fabric. I am especially fond of the sweater weave pillows as an addition to groupings because of the texture.

The texture of the Orkney chairs with the ticking is very simple but nice as well. Chairs are from Mainly Baskets.
The floral pairs nicely with these simple pillows too. I got six pillows out of the 2 drapery panels.

While not vintage, the velvet add to the softness of the room. I added the faux animal print pillows as I would use a floral but it is not quite as busy. Note the colors of Jean Jacks painting over the mantel. It has the chartreuse and purple I used in the fabric choices.

Yes that is a picnic table in my living room! I'll save that for another post! Well I guess that's enough pillow talk for today. I need to go make my bed! Happy Tuesday~*~kelley

More about Vintage Fabric

Here is a quick follow up post about vintage fabric.  Everybody is crazy about old printed feed sacks.  The down side is that now we are seeing reproductions and pretty soon they will be everywhere.  I particularly like the bolder stripes and like to keep the edges simple without ruffles or too much detail.  These are hemp and linen on a tobacco colored linen sofa.
Rag rugs are another great source for pillows.  You can find vintage runners on eBay fairly easily.  I usually wash them on the gentle cycle and use lots of fabric softener.  Almost all of the old rugs fall apart but are perfect for pillows.  I backed these with linen.
More rag rug pillows paired with a soft salmon colored french ticking from Textile Trunk.

This is one of a pair of wing chairs done in a vintage duvet cover on the horizontal with the seat in a graphic french burlap feed sack.  The pillow is a rag rug rehab!

Love this bold blue stripe.
This little bamboo day bed is outfitted in white denim with ticking bolsters and vintage pillows.
The blue floral pillow is linen. I found this one at East meets West Antiques in Los Angeles.  The also sell on 1stdibs.
Another view of the cool bergere chairs and a pair of love seats with tight backs.  The seats were pieced together with solid hemp the match the colors of the vintage striped sacks used.
This is a simple headboard purchased from Pottery Barn and slipped in a red stripe.  I used white denim for the welting and the back and sides.
Love the little bird pillow and the bark cloth sham.  I added another over sized bolster like the two used on the daybed.  These are really fun projects and don't cost a fortune.  I usually have my upholsterer make the pillows for me but the ones with no welting are easy for the home crafter.   Hope you like the end result.  I am working on a few more similar projects and will share when they are done.   best to all~*~kelley