Some great ideas here using upholstery fabric from my Decorating with Textiles group on flickr.
I love bedspreads made of upholstery fabrics as they are so tactile as well as being lovely and weighty…a must have for me to get some sleep.
To see the rest of the photostreams of all these artisans just click on each photo.
Aren’t Gretchen’s bags just heavenly? She uses wonderful reclaimed quilt blocks and laces etc….a girl after my own heart! You can find her at RobinsEggBlue at etsy and her bags are surprisingly reasonable. They would look great for all those about to refresh their spring wardrobes. You can also read in more depth about her and her creations on her website and her blog!
Free quilting arts magazine!
Click here for free digital edition of Quilting Arts magazine available until April 27th
Julia K Walton who lives in beautiful surrounds in Scotland is JKW Fire Horse on flickr and FireHorse Textiles on etsy. She also has a store called LoveButtons on etsy which is a great source of vintage buttons and buckles, perfect for refashioning cardigans and jumpers or maybe even be daring and try some wall art. Julia has some very helpful tips on her blog. She is an incredibly talented artisan who works with many different types of textiles. Her small artworks on etsy are very reasonably priced and quite individualistic…perfect for those areas you want to showcase in the home or office.
Above is a bag Julia made using recycled strips and to top it off a vintage frame she picked up in an antique shop. The inside is made using Kaffe Fassett fabric…absolutely made for it you might say!
Then there are Julia’s stunning mug coasters, works of art using many fabrics, often recycled.
Julia is hugely into recycling and made this incredible rag rug using four woollen blankets from a charity shop.
Julia it is always such fun for me to see your creations…thank you!
Fabulous thrift find …inspiration for future upcycled skirts made from various sources. This is from New Zealand designer Annah Stretton who has a business turnover at present of ten million dollars per year! Her clothes are now sold worldwide and in some select boutiques in Australia. Have I got an eye for fashion or what, although I really surprised myself this time as this was mixed in with the average skirts ….not a designer item in sight. These little beauties [her skirts] retail for between $260 and $360 New Zealand new and I paid $7.50 for it. This deserves an entry to itself under the category of Spectacular Thrift Find.
Next post will show the amazing unused vintage sheets and tablecloths I found at the same store over two days….don’t go too far away from a computer.
Liberty Blues is a lovely little handbag I made with some of the gorgeous fabric samples my friend Sally sent me recently. This bag uses four of the samples in toning and contrasting shades. I also used some of the buttons which I have had in my collection for over fifteen years now….back from the days when I was a mad knitter. I plan to make a lot more of these and also some larger patchwork shopping bags which will co-ordinate with them. Keep watching this space!
