The online community for people whose homes are in the Arts & Crafts spirit.

Fabric

Hi, All!

New to the group. Hope that this is an appropriate question. Does anyone know of a resource for appropriate Arts and Crafts style fabric that is not as pricey as the $100.00 + a yard range?

Thanks in advance for your response.

K. Bailey

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Marianne on February 5, 2011 at 5:52pm

What sort of fabric do you mean - and what are you using it for? You can buy plain linen in appropriate colors for curtains at fabrics-store.com, for instance.

Cheers!

Marianne

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by K Bailey on February 5, 2011 at 9:40pm

Thanks for your response. And, linen is a good suggestion. Obviously, I should have been more clear. Apparently, my, "Cabin fever," is worse than I thought! I will be using it for general decorating, things like throw pillows, and curtains that are in the arts and crafts style.

Again, thanks!

Kathleen

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Marilyn Tebor Shaw on February 26, 2011 at 2:53pm

Thanks for the word about plain linen and where to get it. I have beautiful samples from an on line arts and crafts design store but it is a bit expensive. I'll check out your wedsite suggestion. do you have any idea of whether portieres were the most common covering for closet doors or whether they also used doors? My house has no closet doors and I'm wondering whether to make portieres or have doors made. Which would be more authentic in your opinion?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Marilyn Tebor Shaw on February 26, 2011 at 11:22am

No, but when you find it, post it!! I'm looking for this as well. Are you looking for the plain fabric that you will then embroider or are you looking for totally finished fahric with Arts and crafts motifs?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by K Bailey on February 26, 2011 at 1:09pm

Thought that I was going to go with the finished fabric, but the little bit that I have found has been too expensive. So, my next idea is to do stenciling.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Marianne on February 27, 2011 at 10:42am

I've recently finished the stenciled runner that you can see as my avatar. Finishing the sewing on my kitchen curtains today and am warming up to the stenciling. I can really recommend using the "Paintstik" paints for stenciling fabric. As far as I know, the early 20th C stenciling on fabrics depended largely on oil paints, and the Paintstiks are oil - they are just in a different binder. They are permanent and washable as delicates. You can buy them from lots of art supply places (example - http://www.dickblick.com/products/shiva-artists-paintstik-colors/) and from specialty fabric art houses. Cedar Canyon (http://cedarcanyontextiles.com/) has a nice book on making art fabrics and a good set of basic instructions (http://cedarcanyontextiles.com/learning-center/basic-instructions/).

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Marilyn Tebor Shaw on February 27, 2011 at 11:43am

Thanks, Marianne, for your input. I have never done stencilling. Can you recommend an easy project for a newbie trying to learn the art?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Marianne on February 27, 2011 at 9:53pm

I had done a little stenciling years ago, on paper. When I wanted to "warm up' to the fabric projects this year, I made my Christmas cards - on paper, to get back into the swing of things. Two stencils for the design, but only one image, so if I screwed up, I didn't lose much. I went on to make the runner I mentioned. I think the things you really need to know are:

- You can buy mylar sheet for making your stencils (translucent and frosted on one side) at Michaels.

- I recommend cutting them, using an Xacto knife, rather than using those tools that melt the plastic. A "self-healing" mat like you can buy for paper crafts or quilting is really useful to cut on and keeps the knife much sharper than cutting on cardboard (the most likely modern idea) or glass (the technique described in early 20th C books).

- You do not strictly need to be able to draw - a copier or Photoshop will enlarge and reduce an image you like and you can trace it on the mylar sheet.

- You need to test the stencil multiple times on paper, and then on scrap fabric before you start on the real thing - you're trying to make all your early mistakes where it doesn't make any difference.

A first project? Something small where you don't have to spend any significant amount of money on materials or time preparing the fabric - maybe bookmarks with a zigzagged edge - hand them out to your buddies. Then, maybe a small cloth for a table: a short runner or a mat for the middle like you would set a vase on.

And by that time, you'll be ready to do anything!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Denise Weaver on March 3, 2011 at 7:28pm

I am in the same bind you are in. I lived in Michigan and there is a fabric shop that carried A&C designs. I made a slip cover for a chair and bought yardage on sale. Look them up at habermanfabrics.com

You'll most likely have to call and ask for samples the web site couldn't possibly show all the fabric they carry. Ask for the home dec department.

905 South Main St.
Royal Oak, MI 48067
(248) 541-0010

good luck D-Weaver

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by K Bailey on March 3, 2011 at 7:59pm

Thank you so much for this information. And, I am thrilled that it came from a fellow Michigander! My parents were the original owners of house at the corner of Harvard and Webster. As newly weds they thought that it would be great when they had their first child, (which turned out to be me), if they could send him/her out the back door to school. However, much to their dismay when the time came they learned that Pattengill, while just across Webster, was in Berkley and that, of course, since we lived on the other side of the street in Royal Oak, I would need to go to the, (former), Parker Elementary on 13 mile road! Anyway, I've been away from MI for a long time, but still wish that we'd never moved.

And, again...thank you so much for the resource!