Since its inception, this book has been on every slipcover diva's wish list, and yesterday it arrived at my door. The Home Decor Idea Book: Slipcovers, written and illustrated by Jackie Von Tobel is even more phenomenal than I thought it would be. Can't wait to curl up in a comfy chair and drift off into slipcover embellishment dreamland. Thank you Jackie for this gift to slipcoveristas of the world!
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I had so much fun this week hosting the Triangle WCAA and facilitating a Show-n-tell Showoff of embellishments! Growing up in Tarboro, NC, I was never much of a showoff. As a matter of fact, when I was a little girl, I was very quiet and even painfully shy. Often when I did do a little talkin', my Mama would ask me, "Now Linda, you aren't telling me a little story, are you?" And I would answer, "Oh no, Ma'am, I am telling you the truth." Well today when Mama asks me if I am telling a story, I say "Oh yes I am!" And my stories are no longer little, they are big. And I always embellish them. Now as you know, an embellishment can be part fact and part fiction! Happy Mother's Day Mama! You are such a big part of my story. And that's the truth. So on a silent snowy Saturday I began with a simple straight stick chair in desperate need of dressing. All fabric was prewashed and steam pressed. I had 3 yards of a lacy paisley cotton print, and 4 yards of a printed red ticking, and I used almost every drop, designing as I go. The first thing I did was cut the three yards of print in half down the grain. Forgot to mention I had designer discard matching pair of chairs, or so I thought. Later discovered slightly different dimensions, but quick fixes make great designer details, or at least good stories. Once I had my rectangles cut and pinned to the chair, I began to dream of dripping paisley. I wanted the dress to flare out on the floor and needed the ticking for the length. For flowing fabric, I incorporated three different types of godets. Godets were sewn into the opened seams at the front corners. Godets were sewn into slashes on the halfpoints of all four sides. The third godet is a variation, the handkerchief edge, on the two back corners, which started as a square extension of the pinned side. The lacy all over print worked well for camoflauging all seams. One other nice detail that came out of this exploration was dropping the side seams to a point instead of the more traditional and noticeable horizontal side seams. Would have loved to have had more ticking for a fuller ruffle, but was able to eek out of yardage on hand by leaving part of the back ruffle unruffled. A good day's work deserves time for play. Just need to add a lace tablecloth and pretty teacups, and conversation with friends.
My Valentine to me is the gift of making time to try new techniques. So tomorrow I will dust off one of my favorite books, "The Art of Manipulating Fabric" by Colette Wolf.
This book I love for all the ideas and techniques that change the look and feel of a piece of cloth. I've been dying to try godets! Even the word "godet" sounds romantic, after all it is of French origin. These triangular inserts add fullness to flat fabric, making beautiful cascades. Go godet day! My kindergarten teacher taught me to take my time and do work that I would be proud of. And to write my name on my stuff. Taking a cue from my kindergarten teacher, and from furniture traditions, I fully hand sign and date each slipcover. Here is a slipcover and cushion from one that was pinfitted on site. I loved working in this delicate blue and white print - perfect for January tea! She looked good on the rack, and luckily the fitting went well. Two of my fav embellishments are ribbons and pleats, so why not put them together? Today I experimented with ribbon pleats for a new neckroll design for holiday release. Luckily I have the Quick Pleater System, designed by Angie Knowles and made in USA. Check out Angie's instructional video to see how to make perfect knife and box pleats! quickpleater.com I've always loved brown paper packages tied up with string and there's nothing like ribbon for dressing up a pretty package. Grosgrain has been my favorite ever since I was a little girl, and I still remember the navy corduroy jumper that I entered in a State Fair competition. I stitched a rainbow of ribbons in a criss crossy pattern all over the front and pockets. It's been raining ribbons around here ever since. Now I choose the very best from Raffit Ribbons in New York. Ribbons are super for adding vertical line and color to slipcovers! Check out your options here: raffit.com Happy Fall Y'all! Organic cotton laces are my favorite and the one in this photo is from Near Sea Naturals. I don't think the butterflies are available any more. Probably because I stitched them to so many cotton and linen slipcovers. But another favorite is the Brontosaurus lace which can be found on the link below. I used both the Butterfly and the Brontosaurus lace recently on a pair of straightleg levis so I could get them over my red cowgirl boots. www.nearseanaturals.com |
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