Thought I’d share a little project I just finished up for a pre-teen client. She’s moving into what used to be a guest bedroom and needed a few fun pieces to make it her own. She picked the blue suzani fabric to be the inspiration.
I must say, I’m pretty pleased with how it all came together. I hope she loves the pillows and bulletin board in her new room!
It’s been a long time without a post for us! Sorry for the break, but we’ve slowed things down a bit, and for now, I’m planning to only post when I’ve completed a project around our house. On that note, I’m happy to report that I’ve finally finished the pillows for our front porch swing! I’m so glad to have them in place while there is still some summer left to enjoy them – here they are:
I went with different fabrics on the front and back of the pillows so that I have 2 schemes to choose from, depending on my mood. Both options have a the same red floral fabric and a stripe (all the fabrics are from Williams and Sherrill, by the way). In the first option I pieced the stripe fabric for a pinwheel effect. I finished the pillows off today, so I plan to head to the swing after the kids’ bedtime tonight for a little relaxing. I hope you are finding time to relax this summer, too!
I have been sewing like crazy for the past couple of weekends and all this week during nap time, and I’ve finally crossed the next item off my list!
All seven pillows (is that overkill?) on the day bed in Nathan’s room are complete. Three of the pillows have different fabrics on the front and back, so I can change the look when the mood strikes. Right now the day bed looks like this:
But it can also look like this:
or this:
or this:
Which look would you choose? I better get a move on with my list, or I will not be done by the end of the year! On to a rug…
I’m working with a client this week to do a little living room makeover using an array of new throw pillows. Their downtown Victorian rowhouse has a large living room with incredible floor-to-ceiling white paneling. They have a large, upholstered white couch, a matching oversized reading chair, and a dark leather slipper chair. The chairs are situated in front of a huge front window surrounded by built-in bookshelves. Lots of room to layer pillows and add some fresh color.
The following image is of a Pottery Barn living room shown in the new fall catalog. I came across it just this week after we selected our store-bought pillows and custom fabrics and couldn’t believe the resemblance to our vision!
{image: Pottery Barn}
These are high-end, designer remnants from my favorite fabric store — you wouldn’t believe what I paid for them! Another clearance table treasure!
The taupe swirl in the background is a thick, soft chenille; the red paisley is a richly colored Ralph Lauren print; and the oversized stripe is a bold, woven canvas. We’re going to do a combination of several custom pillows out of these three fabrics that will coordinate with two of these Rowen pillows and one Julian pillow from Crate & Barrel.
All of the colors, textures and patterns sit beautifully together and represent my client’s sophisticated, artistic, and cozy sensibilities. This will be a well-balanced, comfortable space to lounge, entertain or nap.
I’ll be back next week some before and after shots for you!
Anyone else doing some sewing this weekend?
I scored a terrific bargain last weekend at Anthropologie that I’m excited to share with you. These Kapali Euro Shams that I have always loved were on clearance for $7.95 each — down from $48.00!
For as long as long as I’ve been admiring this collection at Anthropologie, I’ve never considered actually buying any piece of it because it’s not the right fit for either of our bedrooms and they were pretty pricey. But there’s something about a bargain that gets the creative juices flowing for me and it didn’t take long to envision them in our living room!
Why not, right?
{image: Kapali Collection for Anthropologie}
The colors are perfect as I continue to layer in shades of orangey-red. The oversized graphic detail balances the scale of some of my smaller throw pillows with the large patterned rug and newly painted foyer wall. Come to think of it, that striped bolster is stuffed with standard bed pillows, too. I promise no one in our home is sleeping on the couch, unless you count the dog.
Best of all, I can throw these shams in the wash, which means I don’t have to debate with my husband about why I’d prefer him to not rest his head on that pillow, or that one, or that one…
