The chairs themselves, can be ordered with any fabric you like. If you like what you see here, order them up! They retail for $4,752 each.

I love the outcome. You can take a peek at Robshaw’s fabrics on Derain’s styles here. Buying the frame from one company and using fabric from another is called “Customer’s Own Fabric” (or COM) in the trade. It’s almost always a more adventurous way to go.

Robshaw makes some great prints. Want some? They’re available from me! Just shoot me an email with your style and quantity and I’ll write up a very reasonable quote.

The best place to start is with a clear idea of what overall look you’re going for. Will it be a feminine room or masculine? Here are some tips to show you how you to coordinate fabrics perfectly to create those different looks – all using the same fabric as a starting point.

Creating different looks with one fabric

I’m starting with this funky linen fabric from Jim Thompson. It’s called Night Jasmine. It comes in five colors – this one is Aquamarine. This could be used for curtains, a duvet cover, slip cover, pillows, etc…

1. Masculine

It is possible to create a masculine look with a floral – especially one like this that’s a little wild. It’s not so froo froo. To create the look, I used darker colors to coordinate by using a solid brown upholstery weight fabric from Duralee called Armand. The texture will give a sofa more depth. I chose a stripe next. Schumacher’s Seneca Cotton Stripe stripe is wide enough to stand up to the boldness of Night Jasmine. Something too thin would look skimpy. Use this in a family room, living room – even a bedroom.

2. Feminine Stripe

Here, I’ve done a bit of the reverse, creating an instantly more feminine look. This Swing Stripe, from Schumacher, picks up on the rose color as well as the brown. The Byron eyelet, from Fabricut, adds to the feminine look. Again, it’s not so dainty that it won’t hold up. Use the eyelet on windows. Team it with a solid for pillows. I’m thinking bedroom.

3. Rosie wallpaper

This is a fun option for a bedroom or even a den, or other room with some paneling mixed in. I’m envisioning Night Jasmine for side panels at the window. Next, a white cotton duck (this one from Pindler & Pindler) for roman shades with Robert Allen’s Al Fresco Ball trim at the bottom. Use solids for the furniture because we’re creating a huge WOW factor on the walls with Isabella, a large-scaled wallpaper from Graham & Brown.

4. Super-Bold Suzani

This is a little over the edge, so give me your opinion. I’m going for super-bold in a large room. Night Jasmine is on the window again becasue this huge Suzani (46″ vertical repeat) Teodolinda from Rubelli is on an over-sized sofa. I’ve shown the overall print in the corner. I’ve pulled the yellow out with this Suffolk Check from Schumacher.

5. Sophisticated Feminine

Can you use two florals in the same room? Of course! Just pay attention to location. Night Jasmine at the window and bed with Crewel Birds from Schumacher (sorry, discontinued) on a pillow nearby. It will sit on a slip-covered chair covered in white duck. Buron eyelet, from Fabricut, for shades on the window trimmed with Robert Allen’s Al Fresco Bead. This is going in a bedroom I’m working on now.

Coordinating Tips

• Let scale be your guide. A large print needs a mid to large-scaled stripe or check or floral to go with it. You can go larger or smaller. The key is to be aware of what you’re putting where. A small check on a huge print will disappear.
• Let color fix the mood. Traditionally, browns and blues are more manly, roses more girlie. Having said that, a warmer red will be more masculine than a cooler one.
• Texture is important. If you’re using a solid with a large print, a slubby or tweedy texture will be more butch than an eyelet or softly draping fabric. Again, think about the mood.
• Mix patterns up – even florals. This is a tougher thing to accomplish correctly. Just practice at the store. The easiest way to get this right is to use one print with lots of colors and the other with only two.

Do you have a tip for coordinating fabrics? Let’s get a good list going. I’m always looking for good advice – I never stop learning.

Fireworks, a picnic and my art project are on my To-Do list this fine weekend. What’s on yours?

Making your own Batiks

Here are my most simple steps for hand painted batik using wax.

1. Choose the most suitable fabric for dyeing. I always use a colorful, high weighted silk and cotton for better penetration of the wax. It can be a bit pricey but the results are brilliant.

2. We need to prepare the fabric for drawing. Pre-wash and ironed it. Then, stretch it onto a frame. You can use a cookie sheet and paper clips or anything else – so long as the fabric is stretched.

3. Draw your design on the fabric using a pencil. Then, use a ‘chanting tool’, filled with hot wax to trace over your drawing. Remember, you are applying wax to cover the area that you want to remain the original color.

4. Chanting’ takes some skill for the beginner. Always keep the wax hot. The ideal mixture for beginners is 30% beeswax to 70% paraffin. The wax line should be as thin as possible for the best result.

5. Next is the dyeing process. First, leave the traced wax to cool completely. Ordinary cold-water dyes are the best for beginners. Start with the lightest color, then darker tones. You may also use fiber reactive dye colors in the process.

6. Removing the wax can be tricky. Patience is the key. Remove it with a mixture of cold water and liquid soap, or use Synthrapol. Take care not to harm the cloth.

7. Wash the finished fabric with cold water and allow it to dry in the air. You now have your batik creation ready to suit your purpose!

Resources

Thanks, ZyHan! There are a number of shops that sell Batik waxes and the drawing pen.

1. Dick Blick

2. Dharma Trading Company

3. Maiwa Supply

Are you ready to give this a try? I’ve made a scarf and can report that it’s not hard to do. It’s fun to do with a group of friends and would make a great project for a party.

The designs she creates are very ornate, compared to most you see with an overall design.

She sells a variety of fabric lengths, fat quarters and some accessories in her Etsy Shop, Brilliant Batik.

These remind me of Hermes scarves. ZyHan works mostly with high quality silks. Most of her fabrics are 1 meter in length and sell for $30.00. But she’s happy to take on custom work.

Batik fabrics make beautiful curtains – these would be especially beautiful for that. Pillows and cushions are an obvious way to go. Cotton batiks are perfect for bedding – sew lengths together to make a duvet cover, or sew up some toss pillows for a finishing touch on the bed.

ZyHan was nice enough to share her simple instructions for creating your own Batik masterpieces. Stay tuned tomorrow for that.

In the meantime, have you used batik prints in your home? Send me photos!

I’m contacting some favorites of mine, but I’d like to showcase undiscovered, young, old, interesting fabric and wallpaper designers. If you, or someone you know, might be interested in having their work on the masthead, please have them contact me. Their name will appear in the lower-left hand corner of the masthead, or just below it.

Thanks for helping me spread the word.

All of Gretchen’s patterns, like Bud,¬† are large in scale. I love this trend. Make it big!

Double Dot is intended to coordinate with Gretchen’s other designs. She makes a single dot, too.

Gretchen’s Spiral comes in eight colorways. Each design is shown on furniture, so you can determine the scale.

I like this one best. Flower, like all her prints, is hand-screened.

Her bags come in two sizes. Medium bags are $80. Large are $90.

You can buy Gretchen Langner’s designs printed on four different fabrics including cotton/linen and sailcloth. The fabrics sell for $89 per yard and there is a ten yard minimum. That’s a rather large minimum order, in my opinion. She needs to add a swatch option, too.

As I said, I love the large-scale prints I’m seeing. How about you? Do you like the big stuff?