Swedish Design Inspiration from Hästens

February 1, 2012 by mymateriallife

As a domestic-minded, textile-loving kind of person, European bedding shops have always made me swoon.  So imagine my delight when I spied that bed in the first photo through a new shop window at Santana Row while on a Paper Source mission.  So Swedish!  I’d seen ads from this company in the interior design magazines and I couldn’t resist going in even though I knew these beds were completely out of my price range.  What I did not yet know […]

Categories: Furnishings, Other Textiles • Tags: Hästens

Souvenir Shop Trinket Cases

December 17, 2011 by mymateriallife

You could use plain white boxes for little gifts of charms, earrings, etc., but cases like these are so much more fun. I picked up a bag full of the tiger clam cases years ago.  They are referred to as shell coin purses if you want to search for them online; I found the lowest price here.  I think I bought mine at The Shell Shop in Morro Bay.  The little zipper case that I’m going to use for the […]

Categories: Christmas, Kid Stuff, Other Textiles, Sewing • Tags: silk-lined seashell cases

Wondrous White Wool Felt

December 10, 2011 by mymateriallife

Could there be a more versatile material to use for seasonal decorations?  If so, I don’t know what it is.  What I love about white wool felt is that while it clearly says Winter, it doesn’t necessarily say Christmas, so you can use it to make your home more festive when you’ll really need a lift, like in the cold, dark days of January. I found a garland like this for sale somewhere on the internet a few years ago […]

Categories: Christmas, Other Textiles, Reading Material, Sewing • Tags: felt decorations, handmade living, lotta jansdotter, parkhaus, white wool felt

More Marimekko: Surrur, the Book

November 21, 2011 by mymateriallife

Now that’s my kind of sewing project.  I found this wonderful book, Surrur, Make Your Own Marimekko, at the Crate and Barrel Marimekko Shop in Union Square last week.  I actually visited the shop twice; the second time (during our annual pilgrimage to the San Francisco Auto Show) I brought along a Crate and Barrel 15% off coupon that I received at home in a catalog.  That helped quite a bit with the sticker shock I experienced the first time […]

Categories: Furnishings, Other Textiles, Reading Material, Sewing • Tags: marimekko, surrur

Marimekko Tablecloths

November 7, 2011 by mymateriallife

   I went into the Crate and Barrel store at Santana Row last week, and I fell in love with this Marimekko display fabric they have hanging in the store.  I just love the colors and the design and couldn’t help thinking it would make a beautiful tablecloth for the dining table in our living room.  The pattern is called Kumina and you can purchase tablecloths already made up from Crate and Barrel, but the sizes are always bigger than […]

Categories: Other Textiles, Sewing • Tags: christopher collins, crate and barrel, marimekko, tablecloths

Sew and Print a Party Bunting

October 17, 2011 by mymateriallife

Triangular fabric buntings have become very popular recently, haven’t they?  I especially love to see them hanging outdoors.  They’re so much better than the primary colored plastic ones I remember seeing in used car lots way back when. The version above was inspired by the bunting you can see here from Marie Claire Idées.  I knew that if we had our own anniversary party, I would have to include something whimsical in the backyard that was inspired by that article. […]

Categories: Celebrations, Other Holidays, Other Textiles, Sewing • Tags: anniversary bunting, make your own bunting, party bunting, printed bunting

Miscellaneous Material Goods

October 13, 2011 by mymateriallife

  As a reward for pulling off that anniversary party in such a short amount of time, I treated myself to one of my favorite and expensive (because it comes from Ireland) magazines yesterday, Image Interiors and Living.  Just for fun, take a look at some of the things I found in it. The Pimlico Print Wallpaper comes from Laura Ashley; it contains images from the Laura Ashley catalog’s history.  I used to love that catalog!  Funny too, because this […]

Categories: Furnishings, Other Textiles, Reading Material • Tags: anthropologie, boconcept, crochet birdhouse, dressmaker chair, laura ashley catalog, pimlico print wallpaper, spool candleholder

Power of Making at V&A

September 15, 2011 by mymateriallife

When I was twelve my Aunt Kay made me a corduroy jumper just like one I’d seen in my Seventeen magazine.  I wasn’t surprised that she could sew, but I couldn’t believe that she did it without the help of a purchased pattern.  It was like she was some kind of magician, like she had some special power because she could draft her own patterns.  It made a big impression on me, and as I’ve grown older I’ve realized that knowing […]

Categories: Other Textiles, Places • Tags: power of making exhibition, textile field, victoria & albert museum

Another Label Idea

August 23, 2011 by mymateriallife

Here’s another option for a one-off kind of label (making more than one this way could make you crazy).  Here we have an inexpensive Target backpack in a multi-colored zebra stripe pattern for a young girl who describes her style as “rock and roll”.  I don’t think that many, if any, of her peers will have the same backpack, but a name label is always in order.  And though this is a distinct-looking backpack that doesn’t need help standing out, […]

Categories: Kid Stuff, Other Textiles, Sewing • Tags: home-sewn label