Sunday, September 29, 2013

Otomi's From China...Just Not the Same...

I was distraught to see the 
cover of the latest 
Wisteria catalogue.
On the sofa was a collection of pillows
 of Otomi design.
I noticed that they were being
done by machine using a crewel pattern.


The first thing that I noticed was that, 
 of course, the pattern on the pillows was exactly
 the same on each one.  
Definitely machine made, probably
in China or India.
One of the attractions of this ancient art 
 to me was that the 
Otomi women embroidered them
 free hand so that each was different.
 Of the hundreds I have 
sold, they were all one of a kind.
You can see the difference for yourself.
Insects, fauna, animals, flowers.
You always noticed something different as you
lived with them.
  A decade ago I went to the 
Enart trade show in
Tlaquepaque,  Mexico. 
 I am always looking for new textiles and
I found this family who had lived
for generations in the
 Sierra Madre Mountains and hand
embroidered fabric.
I placed an order and requested
 that they all the pieces
be done in one sold color. 
And in thread colors that they
 normally didn't use.
I immediately started a great 
relationship with these artists.
They were so kind and caring and just 
needed any outlet to support
their families.
My disappointment was that this would
 greatly cut into how many 
I sold, and then ordered from Mexico.
The Wisteria pillows are 
listed for $69 each.  
So this is an example of 
how doing trade with China has 
a global effect.
Kind of sad.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

...but he has everything!!!

Okay, so we all have friends that live
 exciting lives traveling, 
 are smart, creative
and successful.
They are caring and treasured friends.
They always know what I want.
A toast with some good
champagne,
a travel adventure

a good book and
 lots of laughs.
Easy.
But my question is what do you give 
them 
as a gift? 

That is what happened to me.
My dear friend
Matthew Patrick Smyth,
 who always thought
of me and knew exactly what
would make me happy, even
if it was NOT an occasion,
was having a birthday.
I was stumped...
So, I found a photo of his 
Connecticut home
and made it into a pillow.
I used a fabric from his collection for 
F.Schumacher 
and left the grommets in it.
(Yes, I snagged it from the showroom...officer.)
A touch of black.
Then I thought, why don't I do
 this for clients
of projects that I do?
And what about the perfect 
gift for other designers?
You could find a historical photo of
the house and it would
be a great reminder of the  
life of the home.
Or the family?

What about the original
 blueprints?
Or just a wonderful 
sketch if you have one?
So, let your imagination run wild.
I'm sure you will think of something
fabulous to put a smile on
your clients faces.
Oh, and you know I can
design a pillow
for you in no time!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Brazilian Ba Boom!

I just made some pillows using
 fabric and realized how
much I love this print living in Florida
and why it is so popular.



I edged them with a black grosgrain fabric
 with pleats at each corner.
Since this repeat is 27" I used 
almost a yard on
each pillow to match them perfectly.


Everyone is familiar with the 
Beverly Hills signature 
walls and those Carelton did a 
The Greenbrier Hotel.
I lived with a palm frond
 pattern when I was in Miami
and never tired of it.
I don't think of it as a "comeback",
it's just such a nice green to bring
into your home where you can
enjoy it everyday.
Pajamas anyone?

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Placing a Bet on Purple

I have seen a profusion of aubergine,
plum, eggplant and violet
 walking down the runway for the
Fall 2013 season...
 and now it's trickling down 
to interiors.
It's not one of my favorite colors
and I don't think I could make a 
major commitment to a sofa 
or wall paint, 
but they seem to be using it differently
 from the past.

I love it paired up with khaki, greys and black.
And the really vibrant gem green
is interesting.
 These colors are
getting coverage and I think they
work as accents in an interior.
 
This is a great look from




I have a deep purple in
my Otomi Pillow Collection and lots of
folks admire it, but can't seem
to pull the trigger.

US OPEN 
We shall see what develops with
this trend.
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