Its not every day you get to meet with a successful, intelligent, genuine and creative individual, but Alissa and I had just that opportunity when we got a private tour of George Jevremovic’s two businesses – Material Culture and Woven Legends. Back in the early 80’s, George noticed that antique Oriental rugs were in better condition than rugs that were made only 15 or 20 years earlier. He attributed this to the loss of time-tested techniques like the use of naturally dyed wools and hand weaving. Being so displeased with the quality of these “modern” Oriental rugs, he took matters in to his own hands and launched Woven Legends.

Now, with thousands of employees worldwide, Woven Legends produces some of the best modern-day Oriental rugs available. Each piece is made with 100% naturally dyed wool and is never put into, onto, around, through, above or even close to a machine. The end results are pieces that will be bought and sold for decades and become the heirlooms and antiques of tomorrow. His rugs are available at stores such as ABC Carpet and Home in New York City and Woven Accents in LA.

In 1994 George also opened what is now a 90,000 square foot store called Material Culture. Material Culture is dedicated to new, vintage and antique home furnishings (and décor) from the world round. You will find antique copper pots and pans from Turkey, elephant doors from India, hand-carved wood seats from Kenya, architectural structures from China, and for the hard-to-please there is even a 30’ wide building façade that is for sale. The prices you ask? Completely reasonable and there is a little something for everyone.

Furnishing your home? Decorating an office? Or just looking for one special piece to finish a room? This is one place you have to visit.

Photos by Alissa Parker-Walker

Hello everyone! We are Alissa and Ryan. We own and operate the online shop HORNE. We are both super excited to be guest blogging this week and have come up with some fun and interesting posts. Please don’t hesitate to leave those comments and let us know what ya think.

To kick things off, we thought it would be fun to do a weeklong giveaway with a summer theme. One lucky reader will win this beautiful small fine silver cup with acid-etched details, handmade by the amazingly talented (and super sweet) Miranda Meilleur. For those of you not familiar with Miranda’s work, she is a superstar and you should get familiar.

The Rules (very simple): Submit one photo that celebrates summer. You can take it with your iPhone, your Hasselblad, your Canon 5D, your Polaroid camera, your Holga, we don’t care. It can be a color, a beach scene, a group of people, an object, dapples of light, a plant, anything as long as it celebrates summer-time. Submit your photo to: photos@shophorne.com by Thursday (include at least your first name) and the winner will be announced on Friday. Good luck!

DIY results & Subway marble inspirations
Bye now! What a fun week I have had here on D*Sponge! It truly has been a whirlwind of a week and postings. Well, before I go I want to share my new found love for all things marbled. It all started with a recent Country Living article about a Rhode Island woman who collects graniteware, also known as marbled enamelware. The woman in the article had the most incredible collection of these marbleized odds and ends, and she inspired me to start my own collection of graniteware and other marbleized goodies too. There is just something so beautiful about marbling that strikes my fancy. For me marbling has replaced the ikat “fad”, I want marble texture everywhere! To go along with my newest obsession, I have included another DIY on how to make your own decorative marbleized paper. These papers would make great backings for bookshelves, or as drawer liners. They could also be a nice detail for table decorations for a dinner party.

Country Living article on Graniteware Collection & Graniteware paper

Marble Collection & DIY marbled paper

DIY

Step by Step

Marbling Paper
This process is fairly simple, but it does take practice. I recommend starting small, but eventually it would be great to do a run in the bathtub for bigger projects. I also recommend using paints specifically made for marbling, you can also find kits online, which would make things way more fool proof- trust me!
Materials & Tools:
-Marbling Paint
-Paper
-Liquid Starch
-Large pan or dish that will fit a sheet of paper
-Alum Mordant
-Spray bottle or sponge
-Containers and stirrers for paint
-Pointed tool: sticks, picks, forks, needle
-Brush or eyedropper
-Paper towel
-Scrap newspaper

Step 1: Mix one tablespoon of alum with one cup of warm water. Then you either spray the mordant on or sponge it on to your paper for better adhesion of the paint. Let paper dry.
Step 2: Pour liquid starch into pan, approximately 1 inch deep
Step 3: Mix paint to desired colors. Each (8.5 X 11) print requires about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of paint, so mix accordingly.
Step 4: Using a paintbrush or eyedropper, drip paint into starch. Hold dropper close to the surface of starch, to keep paint from sinking. You can randomly drip paint or make a pattern for consistency.
Step 5: Using your pointed tools, run the tip of point(s) through drops of paint, swirling & marbling the starch
Step 6: Now, take your dry paper, mordant side down and slowly lower it onto the surface of the starch. The best way to guarantee an even coverage is to hold the paper in a “U” shape so that the center of the paper touches first and then lower the sides to be flat. Only allow the paper to sit for 2 seconds or so.
Step 7: After 2 seconds, remove the paper, pulling up from one side quickly, and then lay paper down on top of excess paper to set
Step 8: Allow setting for 10- 15 minutes. Then rinse the starch off under running water, cool or lukewarm.
Step 9: Layout to dry & voila! Marbled paper, ready to use in any way you like.
Enjoy.
I want to thank you all for reading and for the sweet comments, advice, and questions and thanks again Grace for having me!
xoxo

Marble lined bookshelf

SUKIE yardage

Today I am sharing my first DIY project for the home. It is my favorite and one of the easiest methods of surface design. It is so simple that even small children can contribute. Basically all you need are some textile paints, paintbrushes, freezer paper, an iron and any cotton or linen fabric that you desire to embellish. I will be printing kitchen towels, but pillowcases, sheets, shower curtains, etc. These are all doable as well. I hope you enjoy this simple DIY home project.

Materials:
-cotton or linen fabric
-fabric/ textile paint
-paintbrush & container or recycled lid to mix paint in
-freezer paper
-iron
-xacto knife
-cutting mat
-pen or pencil
-printed image or shapes to trace

Step 1: trace a simple image onto freezer paper.

Step 2: cut out traced shapes, remember to cut out details for negative space- image can be cut up like puzzle pieces and then used as different layers for more interest in the design

Step 3: iron down freezer paper cut outs (shiny film side down) into desired composition, making sure all nooks and crannies are flattened and adhered to fabric

Step 4: mix fabric paints to desired color, using a tiny bit of water to dilute

Step 5: paint on in any fashion, you can make stripes swirls, or just one flat color, be sure to place a piece of paper behind your fabric and stencil to keep colors from bleeding through, have fun with the paint

Step 6: let dry completely, then peel off freezer paper stencil, you may need to do some touching up around the edges

Step 7: use iron to heat set the fabric paint, insuring a permanent embellishment!

SUKIE print & pattern

I also want to share with you all, my absolute favorite fabric and textile companies, one big and one small design studio. Both textile companies are England based, no surprise there. The U.K. offers some of the most incredible textiles and designers and if you ever get the chance to travel to London, the V&A has the most enchanting textile collection. I highly recommend you stop in for an afternoon visit.

Sukie is a small studio production textile and stationery company based out of Brighton, England. A few summers ago I had the greatest opportunity to work at the side of owners and designers, Julia and Darrell Gibbs while I was visiting England. My “internship” was only a week or so long, but I learned so much from the design duo, and I was forever inspired and encouraged by them to be an entrepreneur myself. Sukie produces the most fun prints on scarves/ hankies, dishtowels, pillows and just recently they have started selling yardage of printed fabric for the home! What an exciting addition to their collection!! All of their prints have the most beautiful and vibrant color combinations. Sukie also makes the most amazing hand-printed notebooks and journals. Every single one I have ever owned is of the most amazing quality and with a handmade feel and look to them. That’s what makes their product so special. In the past few years Sukie has also been producing paper goods for the greatest of U.S. publishers, Chronicle Books. This series of stationery is remarkably cute and fun. To purchase their products in the U.S. you can visit their website or you can email them to find your nearest retailer that offers their product. You can also find the Chronicle Book series on the Sukie site.

Liberty prints

My other favorite for textiles is the classic, Liberty of London. For more than a century they have been producing the most gorgeous and versatile fabrics I have ever known. Nobody does a floral print like Liberty fabrics. The textile floor of the London department store was beautiful enough to make me cry when I visited, not to mention that every textile in the store was a dream to touch. The fine quality and the beautiful designs are just incredible. I love the traditional Liberty prints to use in really untraditional ways. Probably the best example of this is the Nike and Liberty collaborations that were originally released last year, pure magic if you ask me! It’s a dream of mine to cover my bike seat in a Liberty floral print and then I would line a bicycle basket with a mismatched print to hang on the front of my bike. How sweet would that be? It might even be too sweet to use.

Nike & Liberty

Color Theory at the Library & Subway Ride Home

As noted before, I am a huge fan of color! I love to work with it and I love to play with it. If I had a choice, my job would be to sit and play with swatches of color, and to mix paints and dyes until the cows came home. Ever since I was young I have been fascinated by the endless number of possible colors and color combinations. Only then I was pairing Crayola crayons instead of fabric swatches and paints. It wasn’t until I was in college that I realized that I what I had been doing for so many years had more meaning to it. I took a Color Theory class and it was here that I learned about the visual impacts of colors and their combinations. It was so exciting to learn the science behind color, and I encourage everyone to do a little research on the subject, it will change the way you see the world around you. Recently I visited the art collection of the Mid Manhattan Library to check out their books on color, and while I was there, not only did I find books, but also I found tons of inspiration in the libraries mid-century style interior. The library is a great place to start with any project. You could have a serious hay day in there looking for any sort of design tips or musings.

Murex & Roussillon

Another of my favorite subjects is the history of color. A few years ago I studied abroad in Southern France and there we learned about the origins of a purple pigment derived from the murex snail species. This ancient technique requires squishing and killing the snail, because the pigment comes from yellow mucus excreted by a gland inside of the snail. The excretion turns purple when it oxidizes with the air. It is really a beautiful process, though I must admit I didn’t enjoy the squishing of the little creatures, and it smells rather fishy too. In Roussillon, France, a Provencal village, the pigment for ochre was once derived from the soil there. The village had been excavating ochre from ochre quarries in Roussillon for paint pigment for centuries, yet in time the demand for the pigment has greatly declined and the quarries no longer function. These are things that I just never took into consideration and that I excite me to no end. I find things like this so inspiring as an artist. It makes me think more about using nature’s resources. I love the thought of owning only naturally dyed garments and using strictly natural pigments in my work.
I recently picked up this great new read on the subject, titled Color, A Natural History of the Palette, by Victoria Finlay. If you are a complete color nerd, like myself, you should definitely buy this book. It is basically a mini tour of the world and of the colors mother earth has to offer us.

Public Library & Reba

In my first post I talked about hunting for color and texture inspirations in my daily life, but I also find inspiration in old things, children’s books and even my favorite paintings. I recently did a post on my own blog about two of my favorite artists and how much their works resemble each other. The artists are French impressionist, Edouard Vuillard and the master children’s book illustrator, Ezra Jack Keats. Both artists fill their paintings with vibrant color and beautiful textures. Again, I am often inspired by their uses of each element in my home, wardrobe and in my personal artwork.

Keats & Vuillard

vintage book and a favorite children’s book, On My Way to Buy Eggs by Chih-Yuan Chen, both have amazing color content

Hello again!

So, as Grace mentioned yesterday, I met her a few years ago when I was still a student in Savannah, Ga. I was finishing up my studies in the Fibers Department at the Savannah College of Art when Grace came to speak to our class. We all learned a great deal from Grace. She shared her experience as a design connoisseur and a young entrepreneur and was very generous with her wealth of knowledge on both subjects. We all felt so lucky to have her visit.
The fibers department is where I learned the importance of quality and craftsmanship. I learned from an amazing collection of professors, each giving a new perspective on art, but collectively supporting us students by giving the best critiques and honest advise. Fibers is a very broad subject teaching many skills and techniques for the manipulation and construction of fibers and or surfaces. . I learned things like hand weaving, natural dyeing techniques and surface design skills. These techniques can then be turned into surface applications such as textiles, wallpapers, or flooring, for example. The same techniques can also be used in fine art applications.

I have always felt that the art of fibers lends itself nicely to details, which is great for me, a lover of all things small and fine. I am currently in a transitional stage of my life as an aspiring designer and artist. My dream is to have a small company with my dear friend, Emily, producing goods that we design. We want to combine our surface designs and Emily’s illustrations with a variety of products for the home. It is a scary but exciting venture. I still feel so young and naïve, and I know so little about running a business, but our goal is to start small, slow, and steady.

Here are a few of my favorite fiber artists of the past and present. I am often drawn to the simplicity of materials and fine craftsmanship. These women and their work are so inspiring to me. I often reference their work when redecorating or styling my home. Like myself, these artists all focus on detail.

First up, is Anni Albers, the classic Bauhaus designer who turned strings of color into beautiful woven textiles. Anni and her husband, Josef, were a remarkable design team. My favorites are Anni’s woven designs laid out on paper with gouache paints.

Hildur Bjarnadottir, is an Icelandic artist that I discovered in college and still find rather inspiring. She hasn’t any recent work on her site, but what she has is so full of exploration and fun. She uses several different techniques to express her cheekiness. Her work has a certain novelty to it, yet the quality is flawless. This, to me, is an important balance.

You may know Laurie Faggioni as the production designer for Michel Ghondry’s The Science of Sleep. She is an amazing talent that creates from within, and I find her so inspiring. I love every little stitch in Lauri’s work. Click here to see a clip of Faggioni in her studio.

Selvedge Magazine, is the greatest fiber art and textile resource that I have ever come across. I worship my collection of issues, and reference them constantly for both knowledge and inspiration! It is a beautiful publication. You can find it at nearly any magazine stand now, I know my mother finds hers local bookstore. Also be sure to check out their new blog, here.

While exploring my new neighborhood last week, I happened upon this great little shop of notions in Park Slope called Fiber Notion. It is so difficult to find a good source of quality materials to work with, without going into the “big city”, and even then- it isn’t easy, so when I found this little treasure of a shop and store owner, Kat, I wanted to share it with the rest of the world. At Fiber Notion you can find everything from beautiful felted wools, great sewing and crafting tools, a small collection of fabrics, and trims. Kat also features something called fashion tidbits; they are fat quarters of recycled designer fabrics, meaning the quality is superb. They are great for quilting or for small home projects and crafts. If you are ever in the neighborhood, be sure to check it out.

I am so happy to be sharing with you all today. I am currently exploring my new life in New York, where I have moved to live out a long-time dream of designing and creating handmade goods to sell. I find inspiration for my work mostly in daily life and in my surroundings. With a camera in tow I spent a week weaving in and out through parks and Brooklyn streets making new discoveries and hunting to be inspired for my next project. Meanwhile, I was learning my way around my new neighborhood, Park Slope. Below I have shared my process for creating simple mood boards that I use mostly for color and texture inspiration. Throughout this week I want to take you all on a journey through my daily New York life and I will share my love of textiles, color, and design. Later in the week I will include two small DIY projects for your home. Thank you, Grace, for having me!

xo,
HaylieBird

[image above: Mushroom ring on Union Street/ Vintage table runner in Emily’s Apt.]

Chelsea’s outfit and morning snack/ Bouquet of tree peonies from Amy

Village Apt./ 7th Avenue Donuts

The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens/ Greenwood Baptist Church

Sweet Melissa’s Bakery on 7th Ave/ Friends

Mini Mood Boards

These images above are bits and pieces of inspiration (captured on my journey through Park Slope) that have been paired together to evoke a certain mood. I learned this process from a great professor I had in college, Pamela Wiley. Pam is a professor of Fibers (more about the Fibers Department tomorrow!) at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I often go through my old photos to find images that tell a whole new story when combined. This is a great method for planning the color and mood of a room, a party setting or even an outfit. These simple pairings would also be nice framed and hung on a wall as your own artwork.