Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Wouldn't you know it!
As part of my obsessive-compulsive behaviour I was cruising antique fabric websites the other day, just idly looking for likely fabrics for Gertrude's chair slipcover. I cam across a number of sellers of french antique fabrics, including French-treasures.com, where I found on their archive page 1 this piece of fabric:
Now if you look closely at Gertrude's chair, you will see that the fabric must have been something very close to this, rather than the fabric I have chosen. Furthermore, I found a site that said French furnishings became much less avant-garde after WWI. (Will findthe reference again and link here)
I also found lots of sites that sell French antique textiles, although there does seem to be a gap in the market for textiles between the truly antique and the post WWII retro fabric market --perhaps because most of the period was sunk in Depression and war so people used up what they had? Who knows? Undoubtedly someon out there does.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
At last!!!!
Ever since I began this project I have been searching for an appropriate upholstery fabric for Gertrude's chair as seen in this picture:
It's clearly some kind of chintz but it's not possible to see clearly what the pattern is. I've searched the net for French upholstery fabrics from the 1920s and quilt shops all over the place looking for something appropriate.The first fabric (0n the left below) was from the V&A, but was Victorian and, in retrospect, too pallid for Gert and Alice's taste. Below (right to left) are five fat quarters I have bought and rejected. The one on the right I found in a Eureka moment in a quilt shop in Cambridge (NZ not UK). It's obviously not the same fabric but it captures the spirit I want. It is on the cusp between Art Nouveau and Art Deco (the photo was taken in 1925). It's rich and shiny and thus will go with their Italian Renaissance furniture.
i gave up on the idea of making a slipcover --my one effort at that was a disaster (see below). So I put my little Bespaq chair in the microwave for about 20 seconds (thanks to the blogger whose name I can't remember who put that it her blog). I then pulled all the fabric off and used it for patterns for the new cover. This is as far as I got:
So far I think it looks fabulous. I'm still working out in my head how to get the drapey feel of a slipcover. I'll post again once Its finished.
It's clearly some kind of chintz but it's not possible to see clearly what the pattern is. I've searched the net for French upholstery fabrics from the 1920s and quilt shops all over the place looking for something appropriate.The first fabric (0n the left below) was from the V&A, but was Victorian and, in retrospect, too pallid for Gert and Alice's taste. Below (right to left) are five fat quarters I have bought and rejected. The one on the right I found in a Eureka moment in a quilt shop in Cambridge (NZ not UK). It's obviously not the same fabric but it captures the spirit I want. It is on the cusp between Art Nouveau and Art Deco (the photo was taken in 1925). It's rich and shiny and thus will go with their Italian Renaissance furniture.
i gave up on the idea of making a slipcover --my one effort at that was a disaster (see below). So I put my little Bespaq chair in the microwave for about 20 seconds (thanks to the blogger whose name I can't remember who put that it her blog). I then pulled all the fabric off and used it for patterns for the new cover. This is as far as I got:
Monday, March 19, 2012
Things I forgot
Looking over the blog, I realized that a whole lot had happened between my blog from Paris ( which is a tale in itself) and now, as I try to resurrect this blog.
After Paris I went to San Francisco and saw two Gertrude (and Alice) exhibitions --The Steins Collect at SFMOMA and another at TheJewish Museum. Even more dazzling than seeing all those Picassos and Matisses was the fact that much of the furniture in the salon at 27 rue de Fleurus was also on exhibition, including the big chest on ches bottom picturet, two huge sideboards AND the desk (both behind Gertrude ), which is indeed very similar to the mini one I bought. Not, alas the Picasso designed, Alice petit pointed chairs, nor Gertrude's writing table However, I was able to take relative measurements of the chests. Also bought the exhibition catalogue which has lots of pix, some of which I'll scan and upload next post.
I am still trying to sort out how to use the new blogger. I don't seem to be able to have the nice pictures from the blogs I follow. On the other hand I have lost my nice modernist layout. Oh well,enough for today.
After Paris I went to San Francisco and saw two Gertrude (and Alice) exhibitions --The Steins Collect at SFMOMA and another at TheJewish Museum. Even more dazzling than seeing all those Picassos and Matisses was the fact that much of the furniture in the salon at 27 rue de Fleurus was also on exhibition, including the big chest on ches bottom picturet, two huge sideboards AND the desk (both behind Gertrude ), which is indeed very similar to the mini one I bought. Not, alas the Picasso designed, Alice petit pointed chairs, nor Gertrude's writing table However, I was able to take relative measurements of the chests. Also bought the exhibition catalogue which has lots of pix, some of which I'll scan and upload next post.
I am still trying to sort out how to use the new blogger. I don't seem to be able to have the nice pictures from the blogs I follow. On the other hand I have lost my nice modernist layout. Oh well,enough for today.
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