fabric frenzy

i love a good fabric.
 oooooh, i love a nice neutral pillow with a contrast welt too, but there is something about the RIGHT fabric in the right place that leaves me feeling giddy and tingly all over.

here are some fabrics that i have had my eye on lately:

these three lovelies are from a new collection from nate berkus. pretty great stuff in really beautiful, muted color ways.

 the tribal, geometric print could mix with so many fabrics.

 i am a stripe-a-holic, and have been searching for a stripe like this for a while---subtle, with a washed-out relaxed at-the-beach vibe. love it. thank you nate!

this bolder geometric would look great on a chair or ottoman!

mustard? linen? simple geometric? me likey.

this is a bit of a departure for what i am usually drawn to in a fabric, but i really think it is fabulous!
the bold colors and patterns are a but reminiscent of a favorite dragon fabric that we all know and love, but with a bit more femininity and whimsy.

i have had a thing for toiles for-ever.
mix toile and a lil' chinoiserie, and i am ON BOARD.

 yeah, i know. you are just as tired of seeing chevron as i am...but something about the tribal/washed out, relaxed feel that i am digging.

 i love how this fabric delivers a geometric punch, but has this softness to it....

 dots and neutrals. this could go anywhere!

this fabric looks a lot like betwixt, but is a spoonflower option and less pricey. 

 
i am starting to notice a trend here...a lot of these fabrics have a washed out, lived-in look to them!
i really love the muted blues, deep pumpkin shades and grays. so yummy!

 i have an old screen that i have been dreaming about recovering for a while. something like this fabric is just what i had in mind---it has an edge to it, but feels natural.

 the mid-century/modern vibe on this fabric is just punchy enough to add some fun to a space, but "quiet" enough that it doesn't go overboard.

ah! good old animal print! i am a true believer that mixing a little animal print into a room makes it instantly chicer.. this modified zebra in orange would look great mixed with all shades of blues, neutrals, and could be the star in an all-white room.

click here for links to fabrics!

how to tea stain fabric

i finally got around to tea-staining my holli zollinger fabric.
i had holli customize her "diamond circles" fabric to orange for grady's room. when the fabric arrived, it was a tiny bit "brighter" than i wanted, so i decided to tea stain it.
fast forward a few months...i finally got around to doing it!

it was actually a very easy process:

1. bring water to a boil.
i just filled up my largest pot.

2. put in your tea.
i used a generic iced tea bags, and put in one bag for every 2 cups of water. that might have been a little much, but i wanted fast results!


3. wait a few minutes for the tea to steep, then remove the bags, and put your fabric in.


4. let it sit in the tea water for **desired amount of time, then remove.
 i wanted to do several test strips before i soaked the entire piece of fabric, so while my water was boiling, i cut about 10 strips of fabric. i put all of the strips in at once, and then every 2 minutes, i took one out, and set it out to dry on some foil.
here are the results:
**here is a picture of the different strips and the time that each one was in the tea water:
(original fabric, 2 minutes, 4 minutes, 6 minutes)

i thought that the fabric that was in for 2 or 4 minutes was a little light, but honestly could tell very little difference between the fabric that was soaked for 6 minutes and the fabric that was soaked for 30 minutes!  i think most of the staining action happens very quickly.
below is the original fabric, along with one that was soaked for 4 minutes and another that was soaked for 15...

5.wash the fabric.
i washed my fabric on the light soil cycle on my washing machine, and took it out to air-dry.

i was pleased with the results. i got exactly what i wanted--a slightly less vivid
i sent the tea stained fabric off to my seamstress, and will have the pillow back in the next few days.

kelly wearstler groundworks fabrics

i've been in love with these fabrics for a long time.

on a recent visit to the showroom here in slc, i got to look at them in person.

if you have never used a high-end fabric in your home before, you should consider buying a pillow in your favorite designer pattern. i promise it is worth the cost... the fabrics are thick and have a great "hand" (or feel) to them. i think that just as a great accessory or handbag can really elevate or transform an outfit, a great pillow in a fabulous designer fabric can transform  an entire room.

shown above are "ombre maze" in teal and "katana" in jade/teal.

i REALLY loved this pattern. it's called "agate".

i am already dreaming of how i can use this in my house. i think it would

look great on my ottomans.

the colors on this fabric ("oblique") were perfection. i kinda have a thing for a deep,

mustardy yellow. i love the diagonal stripes, and would love to have a very tradtitional

french chair upholstered in this quirky velvet stripe...of course, knowing me, i would 

look for a striped fabric that wasn't $370 a yard and put that on a diagonal! 

you can shop for kelly wearstler groundworks fabrics at inside fabric.

linen love

isn't finding an affordable source for something you love the best?
a few weeks ago (on pinterest--where else?) i spotted a source for $9 a yard linen.
i called and ordered a few sample cards because i KNEW i was going to
be all over $9 a yard linen! i love linen because it is a natural fiber with slight variations and
imperfections and i love the subtle texture it adds to a room.

the company that offers this linen is called gray line fabrics and is based out of new york.
i  ordered three sample cards:

the warsa linen is a thicker linen, suitable for lightweight upholstery, pillows and other home dec. applications, and is available in 51 colors.

the judy linen is a mid weight linen, (perfect for window treatments and pillows) and is
available in 71 colors. YES, 71 colors!

i also ordered the yarn dyed handkerchief linen sample card. these linens have a "cross dye" appearance to them...each color appears to have at least two colors woven into the fabric. (kind of chambray looking)

you don't have to be a designer to order sample cards! most of the time, it is more affordable to order a sample card than it is to order a memo sample of your favorite 3 or 4 colors. if you have several projects in your home that you will be working on, then it may well be worth spending $10 on a sample card so you can see the dozens of options available....
at any rate, i have already used this linen in two projects, and i have a very good feeling that this linen
company and i are going to have a long happy history together! i think i will be ordering a few more sample cards very soon.

you can see their other products here.

schumacher look-alike fabrics

when it comes to decorating a home, i am solidly in the camp of "save some, splurge some".

 i love finding a great looking affordable find that is similar to a higher end piece. however, there are also times when paying a little bit more can get you an item that can really elevate and transform a room....and often, that item is a fabric.

it's no secret that a lot of designers (including myself) are big fans of high-end fabrics like the ones from schumacher. here are some less expensive dupes for some of my favorite schumacher fabrics:

schumachers camberwell vase in citrine is a fabulous, large scale print with various shades of greys and yellows on an ivory background. it retails for over $130 a yard.

isham indienne in lemongrass by waverly is very similar, and less than $20 a yard.

schumachers zanzibar in space retails for over $200 a yard, although you can buy it here 

for around $155 a yard. this is the fabric i just used for pillows in my living room.

giverny spice by rich loom is a dead ringer for zanzibar, but only 12.98 a yard.

chinois fret is an expensive, textural geometric print that would look great on a large upholstered piece.


this geometric print is similar, and much less pricey.

i really love the energy and color that chiang mai dragon print in lacquer brings to a space, but at 

over $150 a yard, it is not cheap.

formosa compari has a similar look at a fraction of the price.

ellis floral vine in indigo is another great schumacher fabric that sells for over $115 per yard.


although a little bit brighter, gadabout blueberry by stout is a great look-a-like, for substantially less.

soleil l.a. print  would look great on some outdoor pillows.

asha pewter  is more subdued, but has a similar look to the schumacher print.

coconut grove in aqua and tan  is a fabric that i would love to use in my own home someday.
the soft blues and browns are so pretty.


aviary toile in robin has a very similar look. maybe i will just use it instead!

happy shopping!

holli zollinger custom fabrics

i was pretty excited to get a package in the mail earlier this week with two custom fabrics by holli zollinger. 

holli is an artist and fabric designer who has created hundreds of fabrics, available at spoonflower. i have been a fan of holli's for a while, and when i found out that she offered custom coloring on any of her 370+ fabrics for a $10 fee, i was thrilled.

i had been looking for the prefect fabric to make a pillow for grady's bed for a while...i wanted another hit of orange on his bed, and i wanted the fabric to be geometric but i just couldn't find something that i thought would work. as soon as i realized that i could have holli change the colors on her diamond circles fabric, i knew i had found the prefect solution. i contacted her to have the color changed from blue to orange. the orange is now available in holli's store. you are WELCOME! :)

 i also decided to have her customize her pattern called crisscross to be made in a color called "burlap", as it was only available in grey. i plan on using it on the back of the vintage chairs. (yep! i have decided to keep them and redo them!) this customized color is also now available in her store.

she can even change the scale on any of her fabrics, which is another amazing way to customize a fabric. be sure and order a sample of your fabric before you pull the trigger and buy yardage. the backgrounds on many spoonflower fabrics appear to cream, but they are actually white....

 the colors on my iPhone picture are a little brighter than the fabrics appear in real life, but the fabrics are a bit "off" from the spoon flower images.  i will most likely tea stain my fabrics to tone down the crisp white background.

here is a peek at some of her other fabrics...she has over 370 designs, and they  are all really unique and
pretty fabulous! be sure and check out her entire collection here.

i am honored to have holli as my newest sponsor! you can find her button on the sidebar of my blog, which will directly to her spoonflower store. be sure and check out her blog and website as well.

happy shopping!