laura goldstein’s hand dyed pillows (luxury)

these silk charmeuse pillows from designer laura goldstein for grotta and company are so luxe i might have a hard time putting my head on them. but i would give it the good old college try. i love the hand dyed patterns on these pieces, inspired by travels and ephemera from around the world, and the fact that she uses different and complimentary fabrics on the reverse sides — it’s like getting two pillows for the price of one.

see more and purchase these pieces at the artful home.

via laura sweet

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pillowmonster softies: miniview

i love these supercute couch companions from nichol brinkman, aka etsy seller pillowmonsters. i can’t say whether i am more charmed by the fun detailing on these pieces or the very interesting tales of these characters. there’s clementine, who boycotts broccoli, theodore the robot who, despite having been told he has no heart, felt himself getting worked up while watching beaches, and the whipped cream eating daughter of a window washer, polly suzanna. don’t you need to know more about the brains of this operation after reading that? yeah, me too.

q: where do you live and where do you make these great pillows?
a: i live in bloomington, indiana in an apartment with my husband, joseph, and dog, albert. i have a teeny tiny room all to myself where i make all of my pillow monsters.

q: what is your inspiration?
a: i am really inspired by other etsy artists and bloggers and flickr post-ers. i love the healthy competition that comes from being part of a like-minded community. i never in a million years thought there would be this extensive sub-culture related to plush dolls, but it is fantastic.

q: where do you do your best pillow-making thinking?
a: i think all the time about my pillow monsters and new designs for them. i do like to look at books of old circus posters at the library and that triggers lots of ideas.

see all this and more at nichol’s etsy shop, and be sure to stop by her blog to say hello.

thank you nichol!

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la pomme sewn toys and pillows: miniview

i am back from my weekend in nola, which was lovely (more on that later). equally if not more lovely are these soft linen and cotton pillows, sachets and toys from philippines-born, french-based artist apol lejano-massebieau, aka etsy seller lapomme. many of the pieces in apol’s dreamy collection are crafted from rescued and recycled materials and stuffed them with delicious dried lavender. each and every piece also has a wonderful and quirky story behind it. i wanted to know more of apol’s personal story, so i asked just three questions…

q: where do you live, and where do you make your lovely things?
a: i live in a little village in southwestern france, and i used to sew on my dining room table, until it stopped being fun finding pieces of thread in the salad. so i recently bought myself a little mobile home and installed it on the property, beside my dry garden. i painted the walls a shade called raspberry, and from march to mid-april i have a view of flamingos feeding in the marsh in front. it is wonderful to finally have a space for all my mess!

q: do you have an art background? how did you get into making these sachets and pillows?
a: what i am, mainly, is a writer, who had always had a deep appreciation for the visual arts and the fabric arts. sewing was something that i did on-and-off, and had always wanted to do more of, except that life had always been too busy.

when i was a child, my sisters and i would prepare for christmas by making handmade toys to give to cousins, although sometimes the toys were so freaky our cousins would cry. then at university i was part of the costume department of a theater group, and i got to make fun objects like a stuffed octopus and metallic dance suits. then i stopped for more than a decade as real life and a high-pressure job happened.

after a serious rearranging of my life, finally, after a long iI am able to again handle fabric, needle, and thread. this time, i have no plans of stopping.

q: would you rather sleep with lavender or eat it?
a: lavender in food requires a light touch, otherwise you feel like you’re eating a garden. so unless i really really trust the kitchen, i’d rather just sleep with the herb.

purchase these pieces and see the full collection at apol’s etsy shop, and say hi to her on her blog too.

thank you apol!

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carmel killin textile design: miniview

i enjoy the work of sydney artist carmel killin, aka etsy seller feedthedog. there is something hopeful and inviting in the appealing limited edition and one-off screenprinted cushion covers and wall hangings she creates. i like her textures and earthy colors and simple art styles, and i like the natural fabric she uses. ever curious to know a little bit more about the brains behind the operation, i asked two quick questions…

q: how did you get into designing?
a: the truth of it is, i’ve been “seeing” and visually “re-imagining” the world around me since the dawn of time, or at least since the age of 12 when my parents (who have no taste whatsoever, god bless ‘em) moved the family to a hideous new brick house in a freshly created suburb with no trees. the unbelievable ugliness of my interior and exterior surroundings at such an impressionable age had me begging my parents for years to follow my fabulously detailed design suggestions. to no avail. at the same time i was writing short stories and had a spurt of published fiction in my 20s. at university i dabbled in photography and film making, which led to many years working in the film industry. i’ve had no formal training as a designer, i have just always been attracted to the visual world and the desire to interpret what i see, give a common object a new visual story. as a devotee of DIY philosophy, i love doing short courses. knitting, sewing, screen prining, felting, welding, dyeing… done it. with a few non-design-related degrees under my belt i fell into tertiary teaching, but after learning the basics of computer design applications started teaching graphic design to university students. i still teach design, though these days it’s all studio-based and hand-crafted projects. which of course i adore.

q: what inspires you?
a: i think my love of story telling informs a lot of my visual work, though not in any obvious way. i’m also really captivated by the wonderful skewed shapes and lines of children’s drawings and their rough, scribbly colouring-in technique. i love odd creatures, plain creatures and silhouetted shapes. old national geographic magazines from the 60s and 70s have fabulous animals with wonderful personalities. a blank piece of highly textured fabric excites me with all the possibilities and challenges it presents. i love shapes and lines in the landscape, shapes and lines in common, plain objects. details, like stitching, shading, trims, buttons, are delicious to me. so too, unexpected combinations of pattern and texture, objects and things. oddness, whimsy, humour are very attractive to me.

well, after reading her answers doesn’t it all makes sense now!? two thumbs up!

if you’re a local, you can frequently find carmel at the paddington market in sydney. if not, see and purchase the available collection at carmel’s etsy shop, and be sure to check out her humorous, well-written blog too!

thank you carmel!

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textile design by anupama swaminadhan

look at these fabulous handpainted pillows from montreal-based designer anupama swaminadhan for her self-titled textile line. these cotton and silk cushions are crafted in the traditional indian kalamkari technique. they’re freehand paintings made with vegetable and mineral dyes, and they are made with care by artisans in the srikalahasti region of southern india. all the pieces from anupama have a one-off feel, since the colors are mixed by hand and are painted individually. the result is a dreamy collection with an timeless, earthy feel.

purchase these pieces at environment 337 in new york, the spotted zebra in toronto and botanik in summerland. and be sure to go to anupama’s website to see more beautiful things.

via masala chai

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vitra bovist floor pillows

oh, dear, more embroidery — i think i have a craft crush! i love the color combinations and imagery (your choice of doves, lacemaker or pottery) printed on these fun hassock pillow ottomans by dutch superdesigner hella jongerius for vitra. it’s made of a vicose/linen blend fabric, and filled with little plastic balls. it claims to be quite supportive because of the way the sides are sewn, so you probably won’t flop down like when you sit in a beanbag. what a great way to add extra seating to your living room and splashes of brightness and pattern too.

that chocolate, khaki and pink combination up there at the top is making me insane. and don’t you love that little handle on the edge, so you can drag it around from room to room with you?

find them at design public, where i could easily spend way too much money.

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nonshedding pet pillows

enjoy the dog days of summer with these fun pieces by new york illustrator aaron stewart for his company, pillow pillow pillow. aaron is inspired by his beloved pooch scooter, a collection of new and vintage toys, and cartoons.

nice to see they’re not anti-cat!

more styles and info about aaron here.

purchase them at elsewares.

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casual home accessories by three sheets 2 the wind

ohio artist jenny sauer designs handmade linen wall art, pillows and bedding.

jenny is influenced by early and mid-20th century patterns.

she’s also fascinated by the skeletal shapes in plants.

most of the fabric is dyed by hand, and screen or block printing methods are used, which contribute to each piece’s individuality.

i love her naive illustration style, organic themes and delicious color palette.

for more about jenny, click here.

find her work at elsewares and modern nursery.

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