WAterstone Mortgage

A few months back, my good friend, Sue Botelho from WAterstone Mortgage asked me to come and look at their office and propose some decorating ideas. Today I stopped in and was very pleased at the finished results.
I suggested they take the colors from their logo and have the artwork poster framed. I left them with some paint swatches and they ran with them! See attached photos!

Fabric to Fabric

            I just love fabrics!  I covet them and hate to discard my samples but I know I must.  I’ve found outlets for my discontinued samples through the local quilt groups at the Lutheran Churches and other charitable groups.  But last year, I took a class on quilting and now I’m a little more picky about what I donate!  I want to keep all of the pretty cottons for myself in hopes of making a quilt or handbag or some other crafty project.  I even purchased a new Viking sewing machine and find myself gravitating towards my sewing room at night and on the weekends. It is so soothing to sew pieces together! 

            Cotton is the traditional quilting fabric as it comes in so many pretty colors and patterns and washes well!  So where is this leading me in this story?  On the back of my fabric samples there is a paper listing the fabric pattern name and color, the fiber content of the fabric (100% cotton, polyester, rayon, acrylic, etc.), the size of the pattern repeat, country of origin, and the suitability of the fabric for upholstery, drapery, commercial or residential.  I always pay very close attention to this information in making a selection for my clients!  If we are making chair cushions at a dining room set, you want to be able to wipe the crumbs off the seat!  Silk won’t do unless you don’t use the cushion.

            There is a drapery look that is called stria where you use 2 or 3 different fabrics to make up the drapery panel.  A recent design for one of my clients is, top third floral, middle third green, and bottom third, navy.  I showed the client many fabrics but when it came to marrying the fabrics together into one panel, I used all linen content.  When I delivered the fabric to the workroom, my drapery lady told me that I was the only one she knew that made certain that the fabrics to be combined in a drapery were complementary to each other in fiber content!  Hey, I guess all of these years of experience and training in textiles in college have paid off! 

            The price of cotton has skyrocketed over the last year.  I have sticker shock sometimes myself but I realize you get what you pay for.  I am becoming more aware of where a fabric comes from and I look for labels that are made in the USA.  If more of us would purchase American Made Products, maybe we can help this economy to recover!  When I think of it, custom drapery products are ALL American Made!  And mostly made locally right here in Okaloosa County!  Support your local vendors and buy locally!  We appreciate it!  Until next time, have a happy decorating day!  Carol