japanese fabrics at purl

for any lover of fabrics, purl is a must-shop when in new york. fortunately, the little store is so close to my apartment that i can stop in and do whatever you do with your local stores -- buy things you didn't realize you needed. one of the first purchases i made was this bird fabric that turned in to a curtain for a closet with no door.

ah, and now i see the etsuko furuya upholstery weight line is getting bigger, happily in the same color family with some logical options for curtains and pillows:




away from the heavier weights, purl carries a line of super-soft cotton fabrics, kokka nani iro. the watercolor-like prints don't show nearly as well here as they do in person. suffice to say, this top pattern made the lovliest napkins for my friend elizabeth's birthday.



no idea what i am doing with these two, my recent purchases. the top one looks so valentine-sey. i may have to do cocktail napkins for holly's girls' party that night.

new alexander henry fabric

how can you not think "cowboy santa" is less than full-on-cool for the holidays? i write this in general, but really in particular to my sister who was not at all enthusiastic when i threw out this recasing idea for the hideously-covered pillows on her sofa. ok, so by the time i come up with a less season-specific option, it will be may. but i think this is a swell christmas decoration idea. and there's lots of yards of it, so i'd better get cracking. other new alexander henry that came with a recent order:


sarah thinks "baby angel" is wierd but i think cute cute. also, less seasonal but very nice for linens, "estee":


and, after buying enough of this one for curtains, i ended up making laundry bags (the best lookin' laundry bags i've seen) out of "pink petals":


with all my giddy enthusiasm, you may not be suprised to learn i am gearing up for a holiday sample sale. details soon.

ok, here's an example

here's some of my handiwork. the "bird" pillow is a japanese estuko fabric which i ordered in bulk for curtains (more on that later). the larger one in the back is made with a vintage pucci scarf and will actually be part of the collection going over to sarah tallman's store, grove. the scarf pillows are a favorite of both mine and sarah's... what better way to showcase a print that may be just sitting in a drawer? grove is going to be right here in the neighborhood (good as my ultimate goal may be never to get on the subway again) and will stock flowers, some really yummy home scents/candles, and other lovely gifts.

and then there's my own work

it feels like all this week i'm just trying to make time to sit down and get some sewing done. and i will post a picture of something i've actually made. but lately, the minute i complete a project, i'm getting it out the door, without all wasting time on silly pictures. tomorrow is designated as a full-on sewing day. progress soon.