New in the shop! Handmade pillows from vintage textiles

I've been taking a break from blogging and working on the house (and running my business to some extent), since August of last year. I took a full time position working with Etsy (WAHOO!) and after that it took a while to readjust.

I'm feeling a lot more settled now, and I was finally able to finish (at least in part) a project I have had waiting in the wings for quite a while. PILLOWS! This small collection is made from vintage chenille comforters I sourced from all over. I have been collecting them for at least a couple of years now. I love chenille but it often has a granny look to it (which lets be honest, I for one like a little of, but too much becomes apparent very quickly... one can only have a granny moment or two in a space before the whole room looks dated... I'm getting off track). I specifically gravitated towards the simple more graphic patters of chenille (popcorn aka polka dot tufting is my favorite) and stuck with on trend and classic colors. I then backed each pillow with a modern fabric to balance the old with the new and create a fresh feel.

I am hoping I will be able to do a repeat of these pillows but that involves finding the exact same chenille in excellent condition a second time around (not impossible but not guaranteed) so consider this a limited run! 

I'm so pleased to introduce:

Tactile memories and layers of light in a Greenpoint apartment

When Victoria Mier and Trish Andersen first met at SCAD 15 years ago, they never knew their journeys would parallel for so long. Roommates on and off through their 11 years in NYC, the ladies spent time in a loft in Williamsburg with 2 other roommates and then several years apart before finding themselves together again in this Brooklyn apartment.  I’ve had the pleasure of knowing these two for almost as long as they have known each other. There is an overwhelming sense of welcome and optimism from the moment you step foot into their home. Both were raised in the South and hospitality was one lesson they didn’t miss growing up. Their apartment is filled with items that represent a time or a place they have been and wish to remember. There is something special about having a tactile memory. Touching that cloth or seeing that image remind us, with a smile or a tear, of moments passed. They are both always moving forward, motivated and driven, but neither forgets to live in the moment.

Victoria works as a fashion designer in Manhattan. She takes a dress line from design all the way to fulfillment for a major fashion brand. In her off time Vic loves an adventure. She tries to get out of the city almost every weekend, spending time with friends at the beach, upstate or a town wide yard sale, she’s up for anything. She also does beautiful calligraphy for invitations, place cards or anything else that needs a hand lettered touch.

Trish is an installation artist, really she is a wearer of many hats, from designer to fabricator she does it all. Trish is very hands on and manages teams that create both large and small-scale wonders. Often creating huge pieces for large event venues, Trish likes to experiment with different materials and utilize them in ways others might never dream up. With a fibers background, Trish is always incorporating textiles and new techniques often taken from the world of fibers. If you look through her past projects there’s weaving, tufting, wrapping and shagging, amongst other things. Trish is a unique voice.  A little of both these women shine through in their home.

Trish travels alot in her line of work and brings back treasures from all over the world. On this wall are two large prints she found in a French brocante (flea market) outside Lacoste last summer. The gallery style wall is filled with one conversation piece after another including a drawing by folk artist Howard Finster, that Trish acquired as a child while visiting “Paradise Garden,” his massive installation piece in Summerville, GA. Trish attributes much of who she is as an artist today to this life changing visit from her childhood

Living in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn keeps things both convenient and exciting. Trish’s studio is just a few blocks away and Victoria (seated on the left) has an easy commute into midtown. Most importantly many of their friends live right around the corner, they all get together frequently taking advantage of all the great bars and restaurants in the area.

This corner of the living room features marionettes from Java and a geisha from Japan. Trish recently created décor for an event in Tokyo and can’t wait to go back. Of course, what living room is complete without a giant black apple? Floor mats from Domestic Construction, a company Trish helped found, ground the space. Though no longer a part of the company, her patterns adorn both her space and homes around the world.

Plants are a huge part of the girls’ space. This wall installation of textile collage and living plants makes an incredible focal point in the space. Herman Miller chairs provide a neutral base for an afghan and a crazy quilt, both vintage and colorful. A large statement lamp brings a modern touch to the wall.

Victoria added some interest to a group of built in shelves in her bedroom. She brought pattern and color through wallpaper and keepsakes. Victoria believes in positive thinking, and loves a good mantra. She adds handwritten and found phrases like “we do not remember days, we remember moments,” and “strive for progress not perfection”.

Bright colors make this bathroom just as cheerful as the rest of the house. Patterned foliage wallpaper emphasizes the deep love for plants, clearly, a theme throughout the apartment.

Black and white stripes line the main hallway of the apartment. This little moment outside the bathroom brings us a phrase that epitomizes the mentality of two Southern raised girls making their home in Brooklyn.

In contrast to the rest of the house Trish’s bedroom is filled with muted colors. It has a relaxing vibe and is the perfect place to end a long day. She attached lace yardage to the ceiling, and created a geometric accent wall with string, paint and wallpaper pieces.

The girls call this the chill room. The whole room is draped in a vintage olive green parachute centered in the ceiling. It’s layered with additional textiles, making it a cozy place to hang with friends.

Trish loves to play with scale. The oversized tassels make a big statement in a small space and vintage textiles add color to an otherwise neutral room. A palette of red and white bring all the elements together.

Credits: All photos by Courtney Dawley, Styling by Trish Andersen and Courtney Dawley Calligraphy by Victoria Mier

Vintage Chenille the history

Recently I was at my friend Trish's , styling and shooting her apartment for a house tour. I brought along a vintage Chenille bedspread in case we needed some prop linens. Trish is from Georgia originally, in an area I had always known for their huge part in USA manufactured carpeting. We got to talking and she gave me a glimpse into the history of chenille and carpeting in the Dalton, GA area, and it made me want to dig deeper. 

So let's start with chenille. What is it? In French, chenille means caterpillar, and the material was named this because it "resembles the fur of a caterpillar." It is said to have begun in France in the 18th century as a yarn. They made it by taking a gauzy fabric, cutting it into strips and then creating the yarn. In the 1830's Scotland developed a chenille of their own. The Paisley fabric mill's foreman created a fuzzy weave of fabric from which to make shawls. They wove tufts of wool together into a large piece and then cut it into shawl sized strips. Finally we come to Dalton and Catherine Evans, who took sheets of cotton and added tufting to create bedspreads. The designs were popular both locally and regionally. While the bedspreads were not chenille in the traditional sense of the word, the terminology stuck and the chenille of the South was born!

By the 1920's Northwestern Georgia was sending bedspreads to department stores in major cities all along the East coast. In order to meet demands, artisans all around the area in the South received deliveries of the cotton sheeting, marked with patterns. They would then tuft and the finished pieces would be picked up from them for distribution. It was a handcrafted collaborative market, where mainly women worked from their homes to fulfill a need. This industry helped keep many afloat during the great depression.

By the 1930's route 41 had become a popular path for tourists heading to Florida. Dalton's tufters lined the side of the highway with clotheslines adorned with the popular chenille bedspreads. One of the most famous patterns of the time was the peacock, giving route 41 it's nickname of "Peacock Alley". Continuing into the 1940's now in the form of corporations, including "Cabin Crafts" Northwestern Georgians began to experiment with small throw rugs for the bathroom using the same tufting technique. This eventually led to huge sheets of carpet, what we now know as wall to wall carpeting. By the 1960's carpet manufacturing well surpassed bedspreads in Dalton, but it's amazing to think about where this booming industry began. 

Chenille  can be found in many patterns and colors. I am partial to the poka dots and more graphic patterns, but I love a good floral as well. Recently I have been developing my deep love for chenille into a new product line. Stay tuned for updates on that. Can't wait to share it with the world!!

Resources

Patton, Randall L. "Chenille Bedspreads." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 19 August 2013. Web. 17 June 2016.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenille_fabric

Photo: Courtney Dawley