Delightful Easter Textile Art 🐰

❤️ Karen Pleass ❤️
Contemporary Irish☘️ textile artist🐰

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Bedrooms with Upholstered Headboards

Tour Kit Kemp's residential renovation in London. You will see each room photographed by Simon Brown in the house tour. It is an exercise in mixing patterns. This isn't quite so obvious in the two rooms I have chosen to feature with plain rather than wallpapered or textile covered walls.

Handmade Buttonholes

These are the most beautiful buttonholes I have ever seen and are definitely a lost art. They are too lovely to even cover up with a button. The twine is gorgeous! via

THE PERFECT BEDROOM

I don't recall ever seeing a more perfectly made bed! I could fall asleep between those crisp white sheets in an instant. This bedroom ticks all the boxes and I absolutely love everything in it. via

Good Things come in Threes

I got this candy cane needlepoint pillow about a month ago in a charity shop and I love it. I put in a new feather stuffing insert salvaged from an old pillow I no longer liked. Isn't it lovely?

I could not believe my luck when I came upon this antique beauty shortly after the candy cane. This pictorial needlepoint with the reclining goat as the central theme was purchased at an estate sale full of quality antiques. The pillow is quite large, in perfect condition, and is stunning in person. I am thrilled with it.

I have had this one with Oak leaves and Acorns, Cherries and other leaves, for at least 12 years, maybe more. Now I can say I have a collection but I don't think I need any others. The seasonal one I shall put away with the Christmas decorations.

Happy Thanksgiving Day. Peace and prosperity to one and all. xo, Rosemary

Blue Beets Textile Design

I adore this fabric. I can think of a thousand places I could use these blue beets in my cottage. Have a great weekend! via 

Quilted Valentines

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

I love these quilted hearts made from an old red and white patchwork quilt. The blanket stitching around the edges is perfect. via
See all my previous posts about Valentine's Day here.

19th Century Handmade Southern Crafts: High Museum Atlanta Exhibit

Unknown African-American Maker: A North Carolina Quilted Bedcover, ca. 1875–1900, cotton top, linen back, and cotton stuffing. High Museum of Art, Atlanta; on view through August 4, 2019

HAND TO HAND: SOUTHERN CRAFT OF THE 19TH CENTURY 

Stoneware water cooler attributed to Thomas Chandler, Phoenix Factory, South Carolina, c. 1840. This photo is from an article in The Magazine Antiques about the High Museum exhibition. See more items and read the article here. 

I thought these wonderful images would be a good contribution to African-American History Month.

Pussy Willow Embroidery

Do you love pussy willows too? Isn't this embroidery lovely? There is a big tree near me and maybe the owners will let me cut some this spring. I would love to have a sweater embellished with this needlework. via

xo, Rosemary

Content in a Cottage

A secure blog established in 2008.

My Car is Fixed! and A Curtain Refresh

Yes, it's true. My car is truly fixed and it seems better than ever. My friend, the mechanic, said it was really four security systems and he could see why the dealer didn't want to get involved. He said he had only installed one system in his entire career but he has removed over 500. They eventually break down and removing is the only option. I had to get a new battery too. He said to keep driving my vehicle and see what happens. That was my plan too. 

Now about the curtain in my bathroom. It is directly across the hall from my guest room that has full length curtains in the same Lily of the Valley fabric. I previously had this curtain on a black rod with ball finials that covered the side woodwork. They were parted in the center and the black rod showed and the curtains hung straight down. 

I decided to redo the top casing so there would be a ruffle on top and to hang them from a tension rod this time. I wish I had made the casing for the rod a smidge bigger so adjusting the gathers would be easier. But it worked so I am not about to get out my seam ripper. 

I decided to pull them back and experimented with a grosgrain ribbon, twill tape and ended up with organza ribbon and I love the look.

*Note: I had the overhead light fixture on to brighten the room and it was a warm bulb that makes my Lancaster Whitewash walls look beige. This window gets the morning sun from behind and never any direct sunlight on the front of the fabric.

I love the look of a sheer ribbon that does not hide any of the design. I put a ring through the fabric and made a continuous loop with a stapler. The ring is at the end hanging on a decorative nail. The panels will be easy to close in the summer when the hot sun is blazing and I want to block it to keep the house cooler. All I have to do is unhook the ring and slip the ribbon loop down to the bottom hem and completely off and reverse the process to part the panels again when the sun is on the other side of the house. 

Being without a car has been a blessing in many ways because I have gotten so much great work done without the distraction of leaving the house. You know what I mean, when you leave and come back, you sometimes lose your momentum and it's hard to get back into the swing of things.

I will catch up on my errands tomorrow. xo

Michael Bastian's Eclectic Livingroom

According to Michael, his rent-controlled apartment home is “a little of everything that’s been smashed together in slow motion over the past 20 years.” The plain cream canvas of the walls allows him to add as many layers of decor and furnishings as he pleases, without it appearing too cluttered.

Michael Bastian is an American fashion designer with his own label after working for Sotheby's, Tiffany's, Bergdorf's and Ralph Lauren. When asked how he arranged the salon-style wall art he said, “it should never just be paintings or just photography, but a mix -- that’s where the real magic is. There should be modern stuff, textiles, framed book covers all hanging together.” Read the entire article here.

There is a lot to see but it all works and I like it. I can aways manage to squeeze in something I love even though I have no more room. I like being surrounded by things that make me happy. The only real price I have to pay is the difficulty in cleaning under, over, and around my collections, something I'm dealing with, big time, right now. I'm not complaining as it is turning out to be very satisfying.

Enjoy your Sunday and be sure to watch the second episode of the new season of The Durrells in Corfu tonight on PBS. In case you missed the first episode last week, you can watch it on the link I provided. I so love this series. xo

Gorgeous Bedroom

This room is perfection. I love the painted floor and the rug that looks like a sweater. The artwork on the walls is gorgeous, the side table is lovely, the bed is spectacular, the chair is beautiful as is the upholstered headboard. It all works so nicely together. Found here.

UPDATE: I decided to search the original source for the first photo and found it was the Southhampton bedroom of Tory Burch. Here is another view. Isn't it lovely?

Lee Radziwill’s former Fifth Avenue bedroom, via the July/August 1975 issue of Architectural Digest. The central theme is Colfax and Fowler's classic chintz called Fuscia. The botanical prints are also a theme. Somehow Tory Burch found a very similar rug and duplicated this floor with a painted version.

You are in for a treat. There are so many more photos of rooms with this chintz fabric to study and love here. ENJOY!!!

xo

Beautiful Relaxed Slipcover

I really love the look of this chair with a relaxed-fit slipcover. Maybe it would be easy to make but I'm not sure. The whole setting is quite lovely too. Don't you love the fabric choices for the chair and the pillow? photo found on Pinterest and traced back to here.

DIY Fabric Shoe Bag to Love

I found this photo in a box of magazine clippings I've been saving and I still love. Sorry, there were no instructions. I made a shoe storage bag without a pattern years and years ago. I made it the width and height of my closet door and it was wonderful. My mother ended up with it in her condo in Charlotte before she came to live with me, so it lived a long life. We gave it to one of her friends so it's still being used. If you have some fabric that makes your heart sing (yes, there are such things), this is a great project for you. This one was designed around the width of the clothes hanger. The one I made had metal eyelets across the top for nails and the fabric was folded over several times for reinforcement to hold the weight. The one above illustrates the creative uses you can come up with for your own needs, such as storing and saving seed envelopes. 

I found a youtube video with instructions https://youtu.be/30idKV4qZnk - there is a link within for illustrated step-by-step instructions.

Seaside Cottage Bedroom

Isn't this sleeping nook delightful? I love the shiplap walls and ceiling, the crewel embroidery on the headboard and curtain, the built-in bookshelves, and the bed linens. YES! 

‘Seaside Cottage’ Gary Brewer Robert A.M. Stern Architects, NYC. Peter Aaron photo.

Chintz Fabric is Back

I adore this entire room!

Lovely!

Gorgeous. All of it.

images House & Garden UK

Click on the link above for more photos using Chintz fabrics. I picked my three favorites to show you. Chintz never went out of style in England and it's coming back here, just like wallpaper. Now that all the people with wallpaper have removed theirs, at great expense, because the realtors told them to, it's making a big comeback! Go figure.

Blue and White Chairs and Rug

I love this cozy room and especially the fabric on the two easy chairs. So cozy. Nice living room, family room, or library. via

Bathroom with Antiques

I love what the owner's did in this spacious bathroom. They used an old-fashioned clawfoot tub along with a modern walk-in shower. Instead of built-in cabinetry for the linens and toiletries, they used an antique cupboard. The well-worn antique oriental rug looks nice too. I wish I could see the wash basin which I think is to the right of the cupboard. The shiplap siding looks perfect and I love the owl etching and the cafe curtains. Such a beautiful room!!!!!! via

Charming Attic Bedroom

You would have to mind your head when getting up in the morning but I dearly love what I see in this charming attic bedroom. The ticking duvet cover and pillow cases are perfect. via

Needlework Landscape Design

Gardening with a needle.

I really love this garden design.

via