Textile Love

Giving your living room an uplift sometimes requires a couple of yards of fabric and some sewing. Updating a look with some fun, bright and colored fabric will not only change the look, but the feel and atmosphere of the place. I am a true believer that fabric can make a huge difference and here are some of my favorites.

Designer Fabrics

Designer Fabrics

Tonic Living

Tonic Living, Designer Fabrics

Fabric

Designer Fabrics

The best thing about fabric is that the massive variety can suit anyone's tastes and fit into any decor and color scheme.  You do not have to like my selections; the choices can be very personal.  There is something very liberating about going into a fabric store with 1000's of selections and finding the one fit that will make your house a home.  Happy hunting!

Have a great day!

B

Good morning sunshine

Good morning all! We have been having the most beautiful weather lately and I have been painting away. More to come on that soon. But first, I decided to update our couch with some spring looking pillows.

I added my rosette pillows from Target. I was debating of making them myself, but after some thought, I decided to buy them, since it would take so much time and mine would not look as great.

The second addition is the pillow in the middle, which is the Dwell Studio Batavia fabric. I wrote a post about some of my favorite Dwell Studio fabrics, here. The Batavia was my favorite and it comes in three different colours (would have loved to buy some in each, but decided on this one for now).

Because of the pattern of the fabric, I decided to cut the fabric in such a way to put a different pattern on the back and I love the fact that I can switch it whenever I want. Here is the other side. 

I love how both sides look, but I am not sure the grey ikat pillows work. What do you think? Should I replace them? Or does this work?

I know the gallery wall doesn't work with the pillows, so that is next on the agenda. Will post pictures soon. Have a great day!

B

Dwell Studio Fabrics

Dwell Studio has been designing some fabulous fabrics and home decor accessories. They have partnered with Robert Allen before and some gorgeous fabric designs have sprung from that.

Now, Dwell Studio partnered with Robert Allen again.  New, gorgeous geometric and bright new fabric designs are the products of this new venture.  

Here are a couple of the beauties. I am having a hard time picking my favorite, since they are so interesting and unique. 

Dwell Studio

Dwell Studio

Dwell Studio

And after some thought, my favorite one from this collection is the Batavia, and every color that it comes in. 

Dwell Studio

It has such a beautiful ikat pattern and the colors are beautiful. I love this sofa in the Batavia Citrine. Can you image some curtains made of this fabric? I think they would look fabulous.

B

My early Christmas present

Twas the week(s) before Christmas, when all through the house, 

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

Just my new Bemz cover without any wear. 

What am I talking about? Here it is! My new love and Santa's early Christmas present to us. Yay!

I started blogging about this, a while ago (long while), but now I have pics to show you. If you want to read more about my dilemma or see a before picture of the sofa, you can here and here. We are beyond thrilled and so, so happy we ordered it from Bemz. My hubby got his wish to keep the sofa he liked and we are really happy we didn't have to buy a new couch, which saved us a lot of dough. 

I have been working on our living room makeover for some time and it is coming along slowly. Here is the mood board that I pulled together. 

Some say that a room is never really finished and I would like to agree with that. Our living room though, is making a big step in the right direction with the new sofa cover. The sofa looks just like new. 

I was really hoping to receive it before the holidays and I did. Bemz did a great job and I actually received it in less than the anticipated production/arrival time. It comes with a 3 year guarantee, which I am very, and I mean very happy about, since our toddler will give it some wear. 

And last, but not least, don't you love my new pillows? I sewed them and I couldn't wait to put them on, ever since I finished them. I am very happy and cannot wait to start entertaining again. 

Stay tuned for what will go over the couch. Have a great night everyone! B

Sarah Richardson Fabric Choices Part 2

Here is Part 2 of my Sarah Richardson Fabric Choices. I figured since speaking about fabric, I should do a little research and see what kind of advice Sarah gives when looking for fabric.

Here are a couple of quotes that Sarah has for us amateurs, when we want to reupholster something or how to go about decorating our homes.



"When selecting fabric schemes I prefer to use light, creamy tones for the upholstery and accent with patterned textiles. If you grow tired of the patterns it's easy and inexpensive to introduce an entirely new colour to the room - and everything goes with cream, so you won't need to change the sofa fabric. "
(http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com/tips/tip/selecting-fabric)


"A traditional chair profile looks clean and classic with a show wood leg instead of a skirt. Light toned woven fabrics with a subtle pattern keep the room feeling light and airy yet help hide the wear and tear of daily use."
(http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com/tips/tip/family-friendly-fabrics)

"Get a bold start

If you want a fun, vibrant mood, get off on the right foot by using an over-scaled, contemporary floral pattern to set the tone. This printed cotton floral is under $20 a yard, is printed on a linen textured background, and feels anything but fussy. Instead of using your chosen floral in the traditional way on a sofa or drapes, try it on an armchair (or two). A giant print on a smallish chair creates an interesting balance of proportion and accentuates any curvaceous lines the chair might have. In a small space, try to focus on pieces that have height, yet are compact."
(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/decor/living-spaces/how-to-create-truly-living-rooms/article1868524/)

So, with a couple of words from Sarah Richardson, I will share with you my other Sarah Richardson fabric finds.

Do you remember this fabric? Sarah used it for her Sarah's House Season 2 office. I remembered it because it was such a beautiful and playful fabric. I loved the colors and the floral print is not too busy and not too large. I would love to see this fabric used for some curtains. I found this fabric at Calico Corners and it is called Flowering Branch. 

The next fabric is one of my favorite floral fabrics. Sarah used it for her Sarah 101 vibrant living room makeover. 

I think I might just have to order me some. I never thought too much about fabric and wasn't a huge fan for florals, but I am really into it now. This floral fabric I think is perfect. The colors are not too bold and the flowers are not too big and not too small. It also adds a lot of interest to the room and layout. The fabric is called Wonderland Pearl and you can find it at Designer Fabrics in Toronto. 

I don't know about you, but I could watch and rewatch Sarah's house. It is so insightful and educational to watch the show, and it gives me so much inspiration and ideas for our own home. One of my favorites was Sarah's farmhouse, where the next fabric comes from. 

Sarah chose a beautiful floral fabric by Schumacher. It is not too large and it is a combination of larger exotic flowers with smaller leaf print. Love it. 

The fabric is called Hot House Flowers and you can read more about it here. 

I never thought about this, but I really have to invest in some floral fabric soon. I also didn't realize what an impact a nice floral fabric does to a furniture piece or to a room altogether. 

Sarah used the fabric above for her accent pillows on the bed. It is called Coconut Grove, Aqua & Tan and comes from Schumacher. 

And last, but not least, a beautiful paisley fabric for the curtains. I love the pattern and the colors in the fabric look gorgeous with the paint that she chose. She has such talent and taste. The fabric is called Rajasthan Paisley and it also comes from Schumacher. 

I hope you enjoyed my Sarah Richardson fabric posts. I have definitely learned more about what to look for in a fabric and also what kind of pattern or floral print it should have. Have a great day everyone! B

Fabric Pair Up

Good morning everyone! Today, it is fabric love time at the Crafty Bee. Yesterday, I shared a fabric that I ordered from Tonic Living. I love this gorgeous grey and white ikat fabric. It will look great (I hope) with my new sofa cover (still to arrive, 5-7 weeks wait time). When I ordered the fabric, I didn't think of too much, except how many yards I wanted and what I was going to make out of it. But then I thought that two pillows on a couch might be not enough and that I should pair it up with something. So, the big question today, what to pair it with? I will show you a couple of the fabrics that I am considering pairing it with a couple of other fabrics and pairings. Hope you like it.

What do you think? The ikat dot grey with the vintage blossom, dove. Do you think it works? 

I think maybe making two different size pillows. Have the ikat larger and the vintage blossom smaller. Would love to hear your opinion.

Here are a couple more fabric favorites and their pair ups. 

I love the dark background of the fabric, but bright colors of the Turkish Garden. I chose to pair it up with Corridors White. I figured the green in Corridors White can be found in the flowers of the other fabric. What do you think? Does it work?

Last on my list, was to find a pair to a fabric that I had bought a couple of weeks ago. I had used the navy Bella Porte fabric for the pillows in my friend's guest room, here. I loved the fabric so much, that I had to order some for myself, but I picked Brindle instead. I really love the Vintage Blossom fabric, so I picked Jade to go with my Bella Porte, Brindle. 

I think this is my favorite combination. Since Barbara posted her pillow tutorial with an invisible zipper, I have fabric on the brain. I can't wait to do some sewing tonight (if I get around to it, since something always comes up). 

Happy fabric shopping!

Back to business

Hello all! I hope you had a great long weekend and had a chance to recharge and relax this weekend. I would like to say sorry for being MIA for the last couple of days. There was an unexpected trip to Ottawa and having about 20 minutes to get ready, I forgot to bring the charger for my computer. I am so happy to be home again. We had a fun filled long weekend, where I was even able to finish off a couple of projects, so I am quite excited to be sharing them with you this week.

One of those projects involves this fabric. Don't you just love ikat? 

And of course, don't you just love Tonic Living? Stay tuned for a post with some of my favorite fabrics from their site.

Have a great week everyone!

Sarah Richardson Fabric Choices Part 1

If you have been reading my blog, you already know that I am a huge fan of Sarah Richardson. But then again, who isn't? She is an incredible Canadian interior designer and has incredible talent and taste. Last week, I shared the fabric that I found in Toronto, which Sarah used in her nursery.

Lately, I have been browsing different fabric sites and have across a couple of the fabrics that Sarah has used in some of her makeovers, so, I decided I would write a little post in case you were interested in using any of the fabrics that she used.

This is a photo of Sarah's nursery. 

As you can see she used the floral fabric for her armchair and the fabric is called, Panama Bari Sintra (left). For the little footstool she used Panama Bari San Remo Flor (right), pictured below. You can find both fabrics at Designer Fabrics in Toronto. When I was there a couple of weeks ago, they had both in stock and told me that they ship to anywhere in Canada. (probably even to the US, not sure about that one though).

 Next up, is the gorgeous industrial soul bedroom that Sarah redesigned for Sarah 101.

What stands out? Well, the exquisite fabric in the headboard and footboard for one, and that is the Schumacher Chiang Mai Dragon fabric.

I have attached a link in case you are interested in getting more info about it or want to purchase it, here.

Also from the series of Sarah 101, comes the following fabric. This episode was my absolute favorite episode. She transformed a rather average living room into a stunning, fun and sophisticated living and dining room. Loved it.

The fabric below was used to reupholster the chairs for the dining room. Don't they look great? Love the pattern as well.

The next fabric stems from the same episode. It has stems in it. I know not very funny. At least I tried. 

And here is the fabric. It is by Robert Allen and it is called Dahlia, Dove. This fabric also comes with an ivory background (Aegean) and with a dark charcoal, black background (Slate).

When I wrote about my trip to Toronto, I had mentioned that I was looking for a particular fabric that Sarah had used. I fell in love with this fabric and it is still my all time favorite. I couldn't believe my eyes when I found it online. I was giddy as a school girl. 

Sarah used it for the master bedroom for Season 1 of Sarah's House. It has been discontinued, but I found it for sale at Calico Corners and it is called Balla, Plume. 

Aren't they all gorgeous fabrics? Fabric heaven.

That is about it for now. I will end this here and will post the other fabrics that I have found next week. Have a great day everyone!

Unexpected, but great Find

It had been quite some time since we ventured to Toronto, but we finally made it. I was so excited about going, and this time I did a little homework. Shopping homework that is. Whenever we would go to Toronto, we would do the touristy thing. We would go to the CN Tower, the Eaton Center etc. Well, on this particular trip I wanted to visit one of the top fabric destination places in Toronto, Designer Fabrics. It is an incredible store with a ton of fabrics. You could spend all day in there.

Here is the funny story. I have watched every season of Sarah's House and it was all very nice, but only one particular fabric stood out to me. I fell in love with the fabric of the headboard from her master bedroom. Gorgeous, right?

This is the fabric, that I was looking for. I looked and looked and looked, but couldn't find it. They didn't have it.

As I was exploring the store, I headed to the back and couldn't believe how many different kinds they have. Then I looked straight ahead and saw a fabric that looked familiar. Hmmm, where did I see this fabric before?

Could it be the one that Sarah Richardson used for an armchair? No way! After I spoke to one of the people that worked there, guess what...it was! I couldn't believe it. 

Here are a couple of pictures of Sarah's nursery and chair. 

I think its gorgeous. Not too busy, not too girly, not too flowery. Perfect. The name of the fabric is Panama Bari Sintra and it is $32.99 a yard. They also had one with 'irregularities' at $27.99/yard. The lady that helped me was great and opened up the roll, but neither one of us found any irregularities. Yippee! So, I bought a couple of yards of that. Have I mentioned that it is double width, so 110". Super great!

My hubby even loved the fabric and thought it was beautiful, which says a lot. I was beyond thrilled. I looked for one fabric, but found another one just as good. This was definitely a great start to our shopping day!

My baby's new pillows

Last week I shared some gorgeous and fun kids' fabrics with you. I also shared that I couldn't help myself and bought some. This is what I arrived home with and to my surprise, even my husband liked it.

Last week I had my first sewing lesson. It was really exciting and a huge thank you goes out to my dear friend Hannie. She showed me how to use her sewing machine and I sewed my first pillow case (with her help of course). Since I just ordered some more fabric, I will be visiting her again soon. But without further ado, here are the new pillows. Aren't they fun?

When my baby first saw them, he jumped on them and cuddled into them. After that he started looking at them and examined the picture. Then he would throw himself onto the floor and lay down on them. And of course, my camera was nowhere to be found. I didn't think he would pay attention to them, but he loves them and I am so happy.

As you can see in the pictures above, there is a lot going on in the picture. Pirates and adventures everywhere and lots to look at. They should be perfect for playing, reading or just romping around.  I will post the how to soon.

Have a marvelous day!