Cool Stuff: Cyanotype Fabric

Photo from Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts

If you've been reading for awhile, you know that I'm not exactly the craftiest chick on the block. But my daughter showed me this project from her beloved and already dog-eared copy of Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts, and even I was tempted to give it a try.

Martha (or, more accurately, Martha's army of people) used fabric that had been specially treated to become photo-sensitive to create textile cyanotypes, which were then used to recover a pair of chair seats.

Photo from Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts

Simply choose an object or set of objects you'd like to silhouette, lay them on the fabric, expose the fabric to the sun for a few minutes, and rinse in water to permanently set the image. Then use the resulting print to cover chair seats, sew up a throw pillow or table runner, stretch and staple around a canvas for instant fabric art, or for any number of other simple projects.

The cotton fabric is from Blue Sunprints, and costs $16 per yard.

P.S. For a similar effect on paper, check out the Sunprint Kit (a small set is $6 at the Curiosity Shoppe, or you can pick up a large set for $13 right here). I bought the paper as another gift for my creative daughter, and am planning to frame a collection of beautiful fern frond prints she made with it.

Etsy Find of the Day: Cathy Cullis Mixed-Media Textile Art

I don't know what it is about embroidery used in non-traditional ways (remember Diem Chau's amazing embroidered china?), but I just can't get enough of it right now. So when I saw the delicately beautiful mixed-media needlework pieces (like Midnight Stitches, $70, above) from London's Cathy Cullis, I fell hard and fast.

Cullis layers her creations using stitchery, vintage fabric scraps, book pages, and found papers. The loose threads give these a wistful quality that, quite literally, tugs at my heart. Take a look:

Tea and Cakes, $70

We May Be Trusted, $80

Give and Take My Love, $70

Each piece is mounted on 8-by-10-inch artist board and is ready to frame. See all of the textile art in Cullis' Etsy shop (she has another Etsy storefront called Novembermoon where she sells beautiful handmade fabric dolls and original paintings, too).

And check out more of Cullis' work right here.

Cool Stuff: d. Garden Collection

Add interest to a window, a glass or plexi railing, a sliding-glass door, or a mirror with these stickers from Paris-based graphic designer Deborah Sommers, owner of the d. Garden Collection.

The decals can be used indoors or out, are available in opaque or semi-transparent versions, and come in 11-by-17-inch sheets that cost 15 euros (about $22) apiece. Top: Twigs; above: Maple Leaves.

Sommers also offers UV-protected, semi-transparent fabric banners that can be used outside or in to dress up a bare wall, to divide a space, to add privacy, or to screen an unattractive view. The panels can be made to order in the dimensions of your choosing, or purchased in the standard size of 78 by 20 inches for 140 euros ($203). Above: Pitch Fork.

Leaves 1, Multi-Stripe, and Pink Flowers 4

See the entire d. Garden Collection right here.

(Via Home Rejuvenation.)

Cool Stuff: Poppy Cotton

If your couches, walls, or lamps are craving a bit of colorful retro pop, check out the cheerful products from Brooklyn-based Poppy Cotton.

Proprietor Melissa Cotton Womack scours flea markets and online auctions to track down vintage textiles from "an era when homes weren’t afraid of a little pop and color." Then she turns these exuberantly patterned textiles into one-of-a-kind pillows, lampshades, and wall hangings that have an unapologetic Partridge Family vibe.

Toss a Poppy Cotton throw on a neutral-hued sofa or chair in a spare, monochromatic room and see how it brings the space to life. Or hang one of Womack's stretched cotton canvases in a room that's threatening to take itself far too seriously.

The result is totally groovy -- but in a pretty, modern way. Plus, the oranges, rusts, browns, and greens of yesteryear are perfect for adding an autumnal touch to your home now that there's a bit of a chill in the air.

Some of Poppy Cotton's current offerings:

Wallpaper Print Pillow, $45

Fresh Florals Pillow, $45

Calico Hippie Pillow, $85

Sawtooth Daisy Lampshade, $50

Fern Study Lampshade, $50

Flowers in the Attic Lampshade

Fan Coral Wall Hanging, $115

Art Nouveau Poppies Wall Hanging, $115

See more of Poppy Cotton's textiles here.

Etsy Find of the Day: Vintage Wall Hanging

A bit more fabric art for you:

This 1975 screen-printed canvas by artist Robert Van Allen features bright yellow forsythia blooms on a teal background. It's stretched over a wooden frame and comes ready to hang. So cheerful!

The larger size (37 by 21 inches, above) costs $35, while the smaller version (21 by 21 inches, top) will set you back $25.

While you're there, be sure to check out the other vintage-fabric goodies in seller Mamadelic's Etsy Shop.