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Patchwork and Quilted Pillows

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I made these pillows last week in my patchwork frenzy and just finished them last night. I embroidered the flowers and lines and sewed them in with the cotton prints. I used upholstery fabric for the border and backing so I’ll need to have them dry cleaned after the inevitable jelly hands get to them.

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After I made these, I found this totally amazing pillow from A Stitch in Dye which is giving my pillows an inferiority complex. You can see her beautiful work on her Flickr page here and more for sale in her Etsy shop. She also has a blog here. Wow, I’m a fan! I am really in love with the hand dyed look, inspired color choices and beautiful free form quilting. These must have taken hours to make and they are really inexpensive ($40 and $42 each).

Here are a couple of other nice quilted pillows:

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This one is from Raeburn Ink, $70.

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And this one by Neressa Bennett, $95.

All of these modern quilt designs make me think of the Quilts of Gee’s Bend. I felt inspired when I saw this exhibition and I urge you to take a look at the patterns, color and design for inspiration even if you are not a quilter.

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Works on Paper

Works on paper and a couple made from paper. Here’s a quick post about some artists who have caught my attention lately.

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Simone sent me the link to the lovely paper dolls by Portuguese artist Ana Ventura. You can purchase her postcards as seen above here (don’t trust me on the euro conversion, but I think you can purchase these for under $7).

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Another paper artist, Patricia Zapato of A Little Hut creates wonderful cut paper images like Hiding, above (8″x10″, $35).

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Just added the Etsy shop of Creative Thursday to my new Etsy Favorites page. A print of buttercup (8.5″x11″), above, is available in her Etsy shop for $35.

 

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Bamboo

I bought some bamboo yarn the other day, which was a new find for me. Is there anything that can’t be made from bamboo? Since my knitting projects are stacked up and moving slowly (still working on my three-year-old’s baby blanket), I try to stay away from yarn stores these days. I’d be interested to know how this yarn stands up over time and it looks like it might slip around a bit on the needles. I guess I need to get out my knitting needles.

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The image above is from Yarnlust over at Etsy and is a bamboo blend, which I suspect will hold up better. You can find a variety of colors in 100% bamboo here and it’s likely to be available at your local knit shop.

Anyway, since I was thinking about bamboo, here are some other bamboo finds:

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I saw these bamboo kids’ utensils on Cool Mom Picks a while back and keep meaning to order some for the kids. Available from Branch for $7. There’s a lot of other great bamboo stuff there, like these colorful bowls.

Bamboo fabric? It might be slippery to work with, but great possibilities for pajamas and baby things.

Bamboo clothes at Bamboosa.

And of course you can find bamboo sheets all over the place.

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Vintage Wallpaper

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If you’re looking for some design inspiration, think vintage wallpaper. The pattern of the wallpaper in my grandmother’s kitchen is forever burned in my memory. It was a floral with navy stripes. I’ve never been daring enough to install wallpaper in my own home, but I love the designs. The wallpaper pictured above is from Secondhand Rose in New York and would look great in a little girl’s bathroom. A great site for browsing and inspiration.

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These note cards from Paperhill Studio available on Etsy are made from vintage wallpaper. Set of 6 note cards for $11.

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I love this switch plate from Fondue Art + Design, also available on Etsy for $20.

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Or how about this gorgeous lampshade from When in Doubt Draw Flowers, available here for $250.

Here‘s a list of sources for vintage wallpaper from domino magazine.