|
I have always loved catalogs. As a child, it was magical being able to look at toys of every type at any time. When it came time to tell Santa what I wanted for Christmas, I always had one perfect item picked out. As a young, married woman I could spend hours decorating my home or filling my wardrobe for every occasion without actually touching the family budget. As a stitcher, I found more quilting and embroidery supplies than I had ever imagined. And, of course, you and I both know I actually do need it all! Because I love fashion and wonderful home décor, but can only afford a tiny portion of what I like, I find catalogs to be a great source of ideas for projects that I can make myself. Machine embroidery designs are so varied these days that I can recreate just about anything I find in any of my catalogs at a fraction of the cost. The best part is that I know the materials I use are top quality (or at least the quality of my choosing), instead of hoping that I get what I paid for. I absolutely adore the catalog from that world-famous Danish Modern style furnishings company. You know who I mean! The clean lines of the furniture and fabulous room ideas are a constant means of inspiration for me. Here is Greece, there is another company that sells the same type of items, and I now look for their monthly catalog with the same enthusiasm. Today, I was looking through my small stack of new catalogs, looking for fresh ideas to perk up my dark-colored living room for Spring. While there are tons of ideas, I realized that the type of furnishings and housewares I like don’t actually correspond with the projects I would like to make with embroidery; at least that is the opinion of the experts. Luckily, my decorating sense has evolved enough to understand that eclectic style is much more homey and livable than a perfectly matchy-matchy space! If you look through one of these types of catalogs, look closer at the rooms that depict a shabby chic look. This is where they introduce arts and crafts style stitchery. Lace, embroidery, quilting and more are casually tossed in with old barn woods, exquisite chandeliers, and some very modern touches. This is where to draw inspiration for our embroidery patterns! Then, compare the items you like with your current room. Let your imagination change the project until it fits in perfectly. This could be as simple as a change of color or shape, or as complicated as rearranging your furniture. If you are trying to introduce a touch of femininity to a modern or masculine room, do it in stages. First, choose simple floral embroidery designs and create a pillow from a delicately colored fabric. Do not introduce ruffles or lace here. This is just to introduce a feminine touch without being obvious. Next, choose bold floral or elegant tone-on-tone embroidery. Stitch another pillow; this time, use a darker fabric that closely matches the feel of the room. Add a ruffled border and maybe even a row of darkly colored lace. This introduces femininity to a greater degree than the first pillow, but the darker colors anchor it to the room. Finally, stitch a third pillow using either simple or more intricate designs. Use a mid-tone fabric that goes with the other two. Add as much ruffles and lace as you want; add some pizazz in the form of hot-fix crystals, buttons, or beads. This adds complete femininity and pulls the room’s two styles together. You can continue to do this with other projects in the room, or throughout the home. Just remember, that it is best for items to go together, but never match one another exactly. While catalogs show us perfectly matched rooms, this is a cold look! So, use your catalogs for ideas and inspiration. Look around your room and find a way to make your ideas work. Use one of the many styles of machine embroidery designs to slowly add new style to the space. The use of color is your most valuable tool to changing things. When you’re done, you’ll have a picture-perfect room for much less than that Modern Danish catalog’s showroom. Live beautifully!
Related Articles -
machine embroidery, embroidery supplies, embroidery,
| 
