Haute Lamps

Moving to my own domain

2011-08-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Please update your subscriptions and bookmarks. I have moved this blog to its new home:
kathleenmullaney.com

Le Grand Bistro

2011-08-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

Our friend Ted Furst opened his new restaurant Le Grand Bistro Americain at Carillon Point in Bellevue last year and he called Chris to help build the interior.

What a beautiful location............just look at the view!

We met Ted a long, long time ago, in the early 80's when he was opening his first restaurant, Campagne on Capitol Hill. That was before they expanded to the new Campagne at the Market. The first restaurant was just a tiny space with a postage stamp size patio which they soon outgrew because Ted COOKED!

Today was the first time I visited Le Grand and I was delighted that Ted came in before we left. He's ready to start his day at 9:30 in the morning.........it will be a long time till he leaves at the end of dinner.

While Chris was cutting a hole in the back bar for a new tap to be installed, I walked Shorty and Tiny around the marina.

The first thing you see when you walk into Le Grand is the host stand.

Long story here, but I'm going to tell you all about it.

Chris's father Joe collected antique furniture in the 50's to furnish their house. All the antiques you've seen in the pictures I take around our house, the giant mirror, the dark carved pieces, even the "Gauguin" came from Joe.

Chris got all the antiques that were in bad shape because he was the only one who could fix them.....or not.

When Chris was thinking about building the host stand he took apart an old sideboard of Joe's and used the decorative parts to create this beautiful piece.

Chris built the bar and the back bar.

The bar top is zinc.

The two wait stations have locking drawers and marble tops.

Nicely shaped detail on the rail.

Chris built the two long tables, I like the way they are positioned, not in a straight line.

The other wait station.

The back bar was designed with these metal brackets which were built by my friends at Landbridge.

I love the mirror detail with the rosettes which were also fabricated at Landbridge.

Some of the other details that make this space unique are the murals, the venetian plaster and the silver leafed columns. All this was accomplished by the brilliant Cathy Conner of Studio C.

Cathy has mastered the art of applying silver leaf. It's really difficult.........I've tried it.

They bake their own bread in this oven every day. Cathy's venetian plaster makes a fine finish on all the walls and I love it on the curve of the oven.

By the front entrance, Chris made the planters.

Kathi

Cheri A Ellis

2011-08-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

My friend Cheri is working on a new collection of dresses. I hosted a photo shoot today and I have a few "behind the scenes" pictures to share.

In our backyard Chris has created an oasis. I'm not the gardener in this family but, in the last couple years I've enjoyed helping Chris lay brick paths and built stone walls.

We staged a vignette using two of Chris's doors and one of his tables. The turned wood pedestal of the table has an auto body paint finish. The top and base are veneer. Remember the "Gauguin" floor lamp.............maybe four months ago? It's still not finished............not lined or trimmed yet, but we used it for prop, it looks fabulous............I've got to get back and finish that.

There's the head vase..........I bisque fired it a few weeks ago.

Love this top!!

Andy did Lanna's hair

We had to set up in the bamboo forest in the front yard again. We got lots of new shoots this year. It was fun to bring the lamps outside. I made the rock floor lamp with pebbles from the beach at Ocean Shores and you can also see my sculptural copper lamp on Chris's table. I finished the linen shade with the bug embroidery.

All the shoes are from John Fluevog.

I took this from the deck.

Cheri used several of her spectacular hats with her outfits.

This outfit is stunning. You can see more of Cheri's work on her website. And I'll keep you posted when and where you can see her beautiful dresses for sale.

Kathi

Melinda's Lampshades

2011-08-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

I'm just finishing up the lampshades that I've been working on for Melinda's new house in Laguna Beach. I thought I would put them all together in one post so you can see the whole collection.

I think when an interior is designed with the lampshades as an integral element, the result can be exceptional. You can see from these photographs that the color themes are soft and beachy throughout the whole house.

Kathi

Jill's House

2011-08-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

In Seattle fashion is defined by Baby & Co. Opened in 1976, Baby brings the best of European fashion to live at the corner of 1st and Virginia in Belltown where it has thrived for 35 years.

I met Jill when she popped into my store where I was just starting to make lamps in 1998. I visited Jill this week at her home to see how the lamps that we made together are looking after all this time.

Jill bought the first pair of rock lamps that I made. Using only the yellow rocks that I picked off the beach at Ocean shores, I made these for the console behind her couch. The linen and the trim on these lampshades is vintage.

This floor lamp was designed and built by my friend Stephen at Landbridge Lighting. The silk on the lampshade is Charlton V and the trim is Brunschwig.

Here's a closeup of the base. I know this looks antique..............Stephen is a master of finishes as well as metalworking.

A closeup of the yellow rocks................I love picking up rocks on the beach! I use mortar, just like tile setting, to attach the rocks to the wood column.

I used an embroidered sheer to make this tall square lampshade for her mosaic lamp.

One of my ceramic lamps has found a home in Jill's media room. After I bisque fired the camel I wrapped him in raffia and put him in the firepit out in the yard for most of a whole day with a big roaring fire. I wish I had a raku kiln..........I would use it often, I'm sure.

Jill found a pair of wooden japanese doll lamps and I made the little pagoda shades with beads. They sit on both sides of the TV.

She had a floor lamp in the Media room that needed a new shade...........this is what I made.........nice texture and big fluffy trim.

I think this is one of my all time favorite lamps from my early years. I was picking up all kinds of parts in metal and glass at the flea markets and building lamps like this one. I found the drops at the Porte de Vanves in Paris..........I love them........I've been thinking for years of a way to make drops similar to these. When I get around to it, it might be a way to use precious metal clay, which I've never used...........yet.

Love the drops.

There are two of these lamps on the mantle. I added the bead garlands and made the little square shades.

I delivered these pillows today. Her 15 year old shabby chic couch needed a facelift.

In the bedroom is a superb antique wrought iron floor lamp that I bought at Clignancourt. I love that it has two arms to hold potted plants!

I was making lots of beaded lampshades in the late 90's, this one is made on a vintage frame.

At the breakfast table in the kitchen is a little vintage figure lamp.

As you can see on this tour through Jill's house she has many floral and animal references. This vintage tole lamp suits her style perfectly.

Kathi

Pillow Details

2011-08-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

I make a lot of pillows. My client's call on me because I give them more than four seams and a zipper. They are fun to design and make because of all the opportunity to create texture and pattern with color.

In the past I've collected antique textiles and trim...........wonderful stuff to use on pillows.

Luscious layers of texture achieved by quilting the material.

Babe wanted a cushy window seat in her bedroom. This mattress topper is down filled and has the stripe fabric on the other side..........a totally different look when it is flipped. I also made the lampshade on the sconce.

I knitted ribbon to make the front of this pillow.

I knitted twine from the hardware store to make this front panel and sewed vintage wood beads at the sides.

These are made with antique needlepoint pieces.

Combinations of old and new materials.

I like to make buttons closures with finely done buttonholes.

This velvet is quilted and washed. Tiny flanges with mitered corners are a specialty of mine.

Bobette did these needlepoint monkeys herself.

These are antique Balinese textiles.

Applique, quilting and flanges.

Double flanges on a boxed edge make an interesting top view.

I shredded and washed the linen to make the trim on these.

The center pillow here is another that I made with a knitted ribbon front. What a soft place to sit and read!

This is the first scalloped edge I've made...........I like it a lot...........I'm going to do it again in different variations.

Kathi

Marisol's Gate

2011-08-10T08:18:00.000-07:00

We bought another beat, derelict house on Beacon Hill in Seattle in 1990. Chris has been working on it for 21 years, it just never ends.

One thing I love about our home is the yard where the dogs can be outside all day. They can't escape because Marisol built this gate.

She fabricated it on the sidewalk in front 7 years ago..........another great project undocumented. I was able to take these pictures yesterday of Marisol and her gate because she came by to talk to Chris about a new piece that they are planning to build together for the new Ba Bar restaurant.

Marisol designs as she builds, a free thinker without a sketch to guide her.

She found the handles at the flea market.

Shorty and Tiny love their yard to chase squirrels and bark at everyone who walks by their gate.

I'm making a cushion for a loveseat in the master bedroom. I got some nice, plain linen at Nancy's Sewing Basket. I quilted it and washed it and made a feather and down form.

I like it but it needs a pair of pillows too.

I'm doing some embroidery with raffia on the linen to make my pillows.

Kathi

Daniel's House

2011-08-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

It's been too long since I saw my friend Daniel.

It happens that Romie is moving again.........her yearly migration. When her lease is up she gets the itch to move. This time she's leaving apartment life in the city to a little house in the suburbs.

And for me this is a blast to the past because she's moving to our old neighborhood.........Seward Park in south Seattle.

It also happens that Daniel left apartment life in the city to a house in the suburbs..........so yesterday I helped Romie with two carloads and visited my friend Daniel.

In this first photo is one of my ceramic lamps. I was in an experimental mood and did the finish on this with oil paint instead of glaze. The lampshade is a cool shaggy fabric from Larsen.

Oh..........and this is one of Chris's tables. The base and the top are veneer and the turned pedestal is painted.

Daniel brought me this old ship and I had it double wired with a little light in the base. The lampshade is made with the silk from an old kimono.

I don't often make pleated lampshades but this seemed just right for Daniel's lamp. The trim is vintage and the cool drops are from Daniel's collection.

I also made the pillows for his couch.

Bless you Daniel..........every time I think I'm not going to be able to make the rent............in he comes to save my ass.

This is one of my ceramic figure lamps. I saw this in his bedroom yesterday and was so delighted. I hadn't seen it since he bought it from me maybe 5 years ago.

The lampshade is linen from Rose Tarlow and the trim is vintage.

Stephen built this on a driftwood base.

I know.........I know.............

I gotta tell you about Daniel now.........this multi talented man is a landscape designer and guess what............all the paintings are his own!! (except the one in the living room, behind the pleated lampshade). You can see Daniels work on his website Queen Anne Gardens.

This lamp is another of my ceramic pieces, the finish on this lamp is (faux) gold leaf............experimenting again!

I found the wooden square head man at a flea market and he stood on a spike in the garden for lots of years till I took him to Stephen at Landbridge Lighting to be wired. The lampshade is a shaggy, hairy fabric from Bergamo.

When I saw that Stephen had made a iron halo for the square head man I was delighted.

Since I was down in our old hood, I had to drive by our old house. We bought this beat, beat, beater in 1982 when Romie was 2 years old. Chris did a lot of work here..............if you could only see the before pictures.

Like I said...........from now on I'm not going to let any of Chris's work go undocumented.

Maybe next time I'm in the hood I'll knock on the door and see if they will let me see the inside and hopefully take some pictures. The interior is pure early Chris!

We were just kids.

Kathi

The Fang Door

2011-08-05T17:22:00.000-07:00

Chris has never documented his work and it's a real pity...............his body of work over the last 30 years is astounding.

So.........I've stepped in to make sure that from now on it's all photographed.

Chris made this model of the front door for Jimmy Fang's new house that's now under construction.

It starts with a pile of wood, in this case maple and wenge.

A week later the pieces are glued up................

...........and ready to go in the veneer press.

The original design of this door was to have a dark vertical panel of wenge that you can see it in the model.

But............I was in the middle of my metalsmithing classes and Chris was inspired by the copper work I was doing.

So...............he found a workshop where he learned to do fold-forming. Fold-forming is a technique developed by Charles Lewton-brain to create shape and texture in copper.

This is so exciting................way too time consuming..............but as I've said before..........it's well worth the effort!!

Chris made 60 pieces...........holy cow...........days and days of work.........this was all new stuff........total discovery............very exciting!

When all the little pieces were finished he epoxied them to a strip of aluminum.

One long strip and one short one for both the interior and the exterior of the door. The patina on the copper is achieved with liver of sulfer.

Just gorgeous............jewelry for doors!!

We went to the construction site this afternoon. Chris is ready to install the copper panels. This development of five new homes is being built by our friend Yuval Sofer. This is the second of the five homes being built on the site. Each one will have a door designed and built by Chris.

The panels are epoxied in..............

Inside and outside.

The door hardware is not installed yet but.............I couldn't wait to share!

I can't wait to see what he does next!!

Kathi

Bonnie's Chandelier

2011-08-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I have to do a job twice to get it right. Bonnie wanted black silk shades for her new chandelier. After I made them we decided that they were just too dark. (I've never been a fan of black lampshades anyway.)

This gold and black silk check looks very smart in her condo overlooking downtown Seattle.

The stunning chandelier is from Kirk Albert located in the Georgetown neighborhood in Seattle.

Kathi

Joni's Kitchen Sconce

2011-08-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Joni found this three arm sconce antiquing in the Hampton's and had it installed in her new kitchen. After installing the custom roman shades we chose these fabrics and antique trim for the little shades.

The yellow print is cotton from Lennox Money. The border is done with a small gingham silk.

The tiny shirred border at the bottom was incredibly time consuming to fabricate, but as usual, well worth the effort. They are very special and appeal to Joni's love of pattern and texture.

Kathi

Patti's Embroidered Lampshade

2011-08-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

I wrote a post last week with pictures that I took of my work at Patti's house. We were looking at this lamp and decided that the shade I made ten years ago could use a new updated took.

We liked the shape of the frame and I suggested we change from silk to linen with embroidery.

Of course, I used my favorite Traver's linen again.

I pinned the linen on the frame and drew the vines all the way around. I didn't want the embroidery interrupted by the seams.

I embroidered the vines with raffia and made the flowers and leaves with embroidery thread.

In one of my embroidery books I found instructions to make these little pearls by wrapping the thread and doing a tiny buttonhole stitch all around.

They make sweet flowers.

After I finished the stitching I sewed it to the frame then lined it and trimmed it.

Kathi

Monsoon and Mr Chris

2011-07-30T09:01:00.000-07:00

Eric Banh opened his first restaurant, Monsoon, in Seattle in 1999. He followed that ten years later with his second, Monsoon East across the lake in Bellevue.

Eric called Chris to build the interior of this elegant space and more importantly, he was asked to build this door.

Chris has always tried to steer clear of trends. Old reclaimed wood, distressed finishes, Nakashima knockoffs are not Chris's thing. But, when the designer sketched this door for Chris to build it ignited a spark.

Chris combined old and new wood in the fabrication of this door with an eye to refinement. This was the first of Chris's amazing doors.

Chris built the bar using the live edge of the elm tree slabs.

The back bar.

The inside of the entry door.

Eric found several antique panels that Chris built in with giant timbers.

Chris also built all the tables.

The lighted shelving nook for glassware.

The host stand.

A world class restaurant.............a beautiful interior.

Kathi

It's not all about me

2011-07-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

Mr Chris is the other half of this equation. He builds stuff.........all kinds of stuff. If you want it and it's wood, Mr Chris can build it.

We'll be talking more about this in the future. So far it's been all about me.

The whole first floor of the house is the woodworking shop. I complain about the dust, I complain about the noise but how can I complain about having a really cool house and really cool furniture.

This was his project last week. Sheila wanted two walnut tables for her breakfast nook. She wanted to be able to push them together and make a big table or use them separately.

First he cuts the pieces.

Then he puts them together.

In the summer he can do finish outside...........doesn't stink up the house so much.

Loaded...........going to Sheila's house this afternoon.

Kathi

Patti's House

2011-07-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

I met Patti when I opened my first store in Seattle in 1997. Patti is a creative dynamo and the inspiration behind two successful businesses, Potluck Press and Potluck Paris.

I was introduced to Patti by my friend Mary Hansen who is responsible for the all the incredible interior design here.

I visited Patti this week and took these photos.

This vintage bridge lamp with one of my lampshades lights the table in the dining room where Patti and Brian like to sit in the morning to read the newspaper.

I brought this lampshade home with me to remodel this week. We love the shape but the silk was feeling a bit fatigued so Mary and I are going to choose new fabric for it. Trim was an important element 10 years ago but not so much today. We'll see what we come up with next week when Mary has time to consult with me.

When I started making lamps I was buying a lot of flea market junk and building lamps with pieces. All these pieces, including the spring were bought at the flea markets in Paris. Every where I go, I'm always looking for another rusty spring like this one, with no success.

I don't think these sofas are used too often but they sure are pretty with their pillows. I love the throw that Mary designed with many fabric and trim choices and fur! on the back.

One of my floor lamps. Mary designed the cabinet with the mirrored panels.

Antique trim in the border of the lampshade with an extra grand finial.

In the entry..........

there are two bookshelves flanking the window with the yellow lamps. Fabric on both lampshades is cotton from Rose Tarlow. The trim is vintage.

Brian's study in the lower level of the house was too dark for me to get a good picture but this is where my pair of lamps built with lifeboat plugs came to live. I wrote a post about them here.

A pair of lamps in the guest room have lampshades with antique trim and beads.

I know you're laughing now..........this is so crazy. I've always loved the old figure lamps. I bought them at flea markets whenever I found one that I thought was unique. This is on Patti's desk in the master bedroom. Remember........ this was ten years ago.

This is a bit more updated here. Mary installed the two swing arm sconces recently. We made the lampshades with a cotton fabric from Rose Tarlow and the trim is Samuel & Sons.

I made the long pillow on the bed with an antique velvet tapestry.

Here is another vintage lamp that Patti uses as a night light in the master bath. I recovered a vintage lampshade frame for this one.........very cute, old-fashioned shape.

Mary designed a small outdoor space on the front porch and Patti bought this petite floor lamp from me to sit between the chair and the couch. I made the lampshade in a different style than my usual. It has elastic at the top and bottom and just slips on the frame.

Unfortunately, some birds liked it so much they tried to take the material off it for their nest. It is full of holes. I brought this one home also to do a makeover.

Kathi

Boyfriend shirt

2011-07-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

I like the term "boy friend shirt". It makes me think of waking up in the morning and tossing on your boy friend's shirt to wear while you make coffee.

Not that it's ever happened in my life..........

Not that Chris would ever let me where his clothes..........

But I do walk through the men's departments when things are on sale.

I bought this Comme Des Garcons shirt at Barney's in the men's department long long ago. I've worn it till it's ragged torn and stained........

But I've loved it and I didn't want to give it up.

So I..........

Cut it up.

And made a new pattern.

I bought a piece of cotton at Nancy's Sewing Basket in Seattle. We are lucky to have a store here that carries fine fabrics. This store has everything a serious dressmaker needs for a wedding gown or a prom dress as well as a wide selection of wools and linens. I'm particularly drawn to the rack of cottons perfect for a hand made men's shirt.

When was the last time you saw a guy with ruffles on his shirt?

So subtle............so neat.

I chose this striped cotton not only because it was similar to my original shirt but because it is reversible, just slightly different on either side. Also, I can use the stripe horizontally or vertically as you can see here.

You can see the collar here how I used the front and the back side of the fabric and the horizontal and vertical stripe.

I completed this in less than a day and now I can enjoy wearing this almost as much as the original.

Kathi

crochet trim pillow

2011-07-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

I have over the years accumulated too much trim. Sooner or later the inspiration hits me. This pillow was added to Amanda's collection yesterday.

I have a dozen bolts of this Mokuba trim, I've been storing it for at least ten years. I get it out and look at it every now and then. I tried knitting it............then I thought that I might finger crochet. Hey, I like that!

There is a nice size memo sample from.............oops, can't remember..............but I love getting these big pieces from my friends at the design center.

Four seams and a zipper. Then two movies on the couch, hand stitching the trim to the knife edge. I crocheted the whole bolt and it was enough to go around the edge twice, nice and fat, very chunky edge.

Unique and different..............I like it very much. I have lots more of this trim to play with...........more pillow trim...........I don't know............maybe.

Kathi

Amanda's House

2011-07-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

I met Amanda last year when she was introduced to me by my next door neighbor, Kendall Mcbride. Kendall designed and built an amazing house for for Amanda and Greg.

They invited me to make a few things for their home.

This sofa in the media room needed pillows so Amanda and I chose some fabrics and she gave me the freedom to create. Fabrics here include Malabar, Hodsoll Mckenzie, Travers and Clarence House.

This hand stitched applique uses a Malabar fabric for the background and a lightweight linen from Fabricut for the pattern.

Pillow applique and flange detail.

Two leather chairs in the living room have little pillows made with cut velvet from Zimmer Rohde.

In the small living room window seat, the cushion is velvet from Zimmer Rohde and the pillows are made with a beautiful woven print from Jacque Bouvet.

Here is a detail of my hand stitching with waxed linen thread on Travers linen.

I wish I could remember where I found the woven black dot...........it was on my shelf for a while. I finished the edge with leather fringe. These three pillows are now on the window seat in her living room.

Amanda wanted floor pillows for the media room. I had a collection of discontinued memo samples from Clarence House that were all 27" x 27" This is all corduroy which I quilted and washed. The flange edges are Travers linen.

Comfortable corner.

In the living room is a larger window seat. I made the cushions here also with the velvet from Zimmer Rohde.

Buttery leather chair with my appliqued and embroidered pillow.

Two mohair chairs make a cozy spot to sit and read. Pillows are woven print from Jacque Bouvet.

Greg likes to hang out in his garage. I made two lamps from old car gears, one for the top of the humidor and the other is on the mini fridge. The lampshades are linen from Vervain.

In the master bedroom, I made the blanket with linen from Pindler which I quilted in 4" squares. The backing is the bird print linen from Classic Cloth which I love and have used before and the flange edge is a metallic from Kravet.

The two pillows are silk from Jim Thompson, backed with the Classic Cloth bird print and flange edges of the Kravet metallic.

Amanda's just getting started on the guest bedroom and the nursery. These walls will be painted and she will find the furniture she needs here but we got started on the bed.

This blanket can also be a duvet if she wants to put a down comforter inside, it's zippered on the end. The animal print is from Clarence house and the red linen on the back is Pindler.

For the pair of pillows, I quilted and washed the linen first so it's a nice contrast to the smoothness of the blanket.

All for today.

Kathi

Vacation Time

2011-07-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

I cleared the calendar for some vacation time again. No jet plane, no road trip...........no not yet.

The couch takes a beating. Can't keep the dogs off. Chris has been known to come up from the shop at the end of the day and collapse in a cloud of sawdust.

Taking time off means giving myself time to create. I retired two pillows from the couch this week and made two new ones. The bird print is linen from Classic Cloth and the nubby woven silk is Bergamo.

I love camp blankets. I have these four on the couch. They are so cozy and so warm and they go through the washer and dryer. We eat dinner here every night and fall asleep with the dogs watching a movie. Married 31 years.

I have an ugly chair that's too good to give to the Goodwill so it's been hiding behind a bed for ten years. I've been planning to slipcover this for at least the last five.

Stripes............I know, I know............it's just that it was free............so I'm using it. It's actually a beautiful linen from Clarence House.

Like I said.........I'm on vacation.

I pleated a long strip to make the curved box edge along the top. The whole rounded back is pin tucked half way down.

You can see all of the back now, it's sewn into the border with a short leather fringe.............I know, I know.

That's as far as I got today.........it will take me a few more days to finish.

I'm making a lampshade for the copper sculptural lamp.............it will be back in a few days with the wiring done.

I'm liking the embroidery done with the raffia so I thought I would try it again on this project. I drew a bug.

I'll show you how it looks when I get the lamp back from Stephen next week.

The horse and the head vase are ready to go in the kiln for the first firing. They both have multiple layers of underglaze brushed on and sanded off.

The three smaller pieces need more underglaze...............I'll probably fire this group of five in another month or so. I know, I know.........the footed dish............not very original..............I just had to get it out of my system. I'm moving on now.

I know I'm not very good at this but it's so darn much fun I can't stand it. I was hooked when I took my first class in 2005.

I haven't truly found my voice in this medium............but I'm so determined.

Kathi

Embroidered Lampshades on Driftwood Lamps

2011-07-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

I've just finished this embroidered lampshade. I had originally made the pair with bird pictures. I completed one but I was not happy with the way the bird looked on the second. I contemplated for a month before I ripped it off. And I was undecided for another month about what new embroidery to design.

I thought I would draw a picture of Shorty chasing a squirrel.

This is the first lamp with the bird embroidery. It's in the kitchen on a table that Chris built, also from driftwood.

More dog pictures.

I like to use raffia for this kind of embroidery, it's thick and heavy and makes a nice contrast to the other thread.

Chris turned this pair of lamps from driftwood. The lamps were fabricated by Landbridge Lighting.

Kathi

A Visit to Andy's house

2011-06-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

I met Andy last month when she asked me to make three pillows for her modern couch. You can read that post here.

We had a leftover piece of the Pierre Frey linen and decided to use it to make another pillow for her bed.

Andy had the custom headboard made by Room and Board. She asked them to send a dozen memo samples of the linen that she chose for the upholstery.

I used the 5" memos to create the diamond pattern on the pillow face. I drew it on paper first.

Using my paper pattern I cut out the diamonds in the linen. Then I backed it with muslin and zig zagged the edges around with the sewing machine. I cut the remaining linen into strips, pulled the threads to fringe it and zig zagged all around these pieces so I can put them all through the wash and dry.

After washing and drying I unstitched my muslin and placing the little linen squares on the back, I zig zagged again around the diamonds. I always back my pillow pieces with muslin and cut out the corners so they don't get too bulky to sew.

I trim the corners like this so they are not too pointy.

I used the fringe pieces to detail the edge seam.

Also...................I made a new slipcover for a cool chair in her son's bedroom. This chair from Design Within Reach, comes with a black leather cover. Andy brought me the leather cover and I made a new pattern.

The fabric we chose is a nubby silk from Bergamo.

I took another photograph of the modern couch in her living room. You can see how I repeated the motif in her rug when I made the reverse applique on the linen pillows.

The little squares on the long rectangle pillow are made with memo samples of the couch linen. She got the couch also from Room and Board.

Kathi

Third metal sculpture lamp

2011-06-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

I put this together yesterday. I wanted to attach it all with binding wire.

Detail.

I like the antique base for this lamp. I'll take it back to Landbridge Lighting now and have Stephen wire it.

Since this is the first time I've put something together with wire, there was a lot of experimenting happening. I'll be able to do it better next time.

You can read in several previous posts about how I made the copper flowers. These are all repousse and fold-formed.

I've always loved this form of lamp base. During the early years when I was making lamps I bought all the floral tole lamps that I could find.

I remember one time at the Porte de Vanves flea market I spotted a wrought iron floor lamp about 2 blocks away and sprinted to it. I asked the guy how much and when he told me 400 I couldn't dig the 400 euros out of my bag fast enough.

He says no, no " pas quatre cent...........quarante"...........40 euros.

Kathi

Bamboo

2011-06-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

We planted bamboo about ten years ago. Chris bought a tiny clump in a gallon pot and started it in the front yard where it's very shady.

We had no idea it was timber bamboo till the next spring when it sprouted giant sprouts.

Beautiful hat and dress by Cheri.

It gets bigger every year.

These are growing very close to the house, Chris thinks they should be terminated.

I wonder how many new timbers we'll have this year. Can you see the spouts here?

Kathi

In a couple days

2011-06-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

I've been so inspired. The metalworking is starting now. I missed the last two classes because I was buying tools and working hard to finish a few projects.

I've taken over the table in front of the mirror.

The anvil is from a garage sale was was made from a railroad rail. I need a bigger one too. I need everything.

The flowers and leaves and the repousse are ready to be assembled.

I got a big chunk of micro crystalline wax to use for the repousse instead of pitch. Somebody told me I could do that so I'm going to try. I want to make pieces that are bigger than 5 inches.

I'm so darn lucky to have this space.

I upholstered this stool about ten years ago.

You can see a bit of the lamp base that I'm going to build on.

More to come!!

Yeah!!

Kathi

Lampshade Sewing Lesson #3

2011-06-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

This is the pair of lamps that I'm making these shades for. Aren't they spectacular? They are from Hendrix Allardyce. The total height with the shade will be 45".

I'm continuing and finishing my sewing lesson today. Here they are finished. The embroidered linen is Chelsea Editions, the plain linen in the cuff is also CE and the trim is Samuel & Sons.

When I ended by lesson last week I was sewing the fabric on the body of the frame. After it's all sewn in nice and tight, you trim off the extra on the top and bottom.

I've sewn the seams in the lining and I'm ready to pin it to the frame. I use a very good quality 4-ply silk crepe for my lining which I buy from Eastern Silk in LA.

After the lining is sewn I trim it back close, neat and tidy.

I save the small bits of leftover lining to make the little trims to glue around the wire in the top of the frame. I cut these on the bias, 1 3/4" wide. Fold and press them into thirds.

This is where you need to put that little piece.

This is how it looks on the inside when it's glued in.

I use this glue for all the trimming. I cut my rib trims from the selvedge edge of my body fabric 1 3/8" wide. I press them into thirds and them lightly, very lightly glue them closed and then press again so they are straight and even.

Most sewn lampshades have a trim on the ribs because of the shadow created by the seams of the cover, the lining and the rib. I'm gluing the trim on starting at the top and working my way down.

The last step is to glue on the Samuel & Sons trim. This covers all the sewing stitches.

That's the end of my lesson.

This pair of lampshades takes me 4 full days or about 32 hours.

I'm pretty sure you're not going to be making a lampshade like this if you're doing one for the first time. This is like teaching you how to swim by tossing you in the deep end or teaching you to ski by sending you up the gondola to the top of the mountain.

I'm happy to answer any questions, just let me know if you need help. There are hundreds of nuances, every frame shape and every fabric has different requirements.

See you later.

Kathi

Who are you?

2011-06-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

Who is this person?

I’m sure you’re wondering who the random person posting on Haute Lamps is. Now that I am putting up my second post I’d like to take a second to introduce myself. My name is Lis and I grew up across the street from Kathi. I divide my days between teaching people how to fly and being a mama to two little girls. I have the best job.

You’d think that a pilot would have a really keen sense of direction. And I suppose I do but ask me how to get somewhere with street names and I’ll stare at you as blankly as I do when I try and execute a craft project. I’m a landmark girl. Turn left at the school, pass the lake on your right and once you see the stone house you’re almost there.

Growing up in south Seattle the stone house was a landmark that everyone knew. It’s this tiny stone house that used to be a service station. The building has been standing since 1926.

You can see the station just to the left of the street car:

I’ve driven past this building thousands of times in my life. Kathi used to sqeeze Romie and I into the Chevy Luv to go to the Why Grocery for a treat. Both Romie and I loved yelling, “There’s the stone house!” Now I hear my girls yelling it from the backseat as I drive by. It’s a ramshackle building now but to a young girl with a wild imagination, and an older woman with ingenuity, talent and more creativity than I could ever muster, it’s still a charming service station that will now forever live in my home.

I'm curious, do you have any local landmarks that you cherish, hate, or are a must-show to visitors?

Lampshade Sewing Lesson # 2

2011-06-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

Several people have asked me to continue the lesson that I started in January. You can read here the first part when I made a pattern on the frame.

I'm starting a pair of lampshades for my client Melinda. The lamps are very tall, beautiful candlestick lamps from Hendrix Allardyce. If you want to see the lamps, go to the site and check the Torino candlestick.

The fabric is all Chelsea Editions, plain linen shirred in the border at the bottom and the embroidered linen in the main body. I'm cutting the patterns with a 1/4" seam allowance.

I'm cutting 1 3/8" strips from the selvedge edge to make the trims to cover the ribs. More about that later.

I cut 4 1/2" strips of the plain linen and I'm shirring it on the machine to gather into the border at the bottom.

I'm pulling it tight and sewing by hand along the top and bottom edges.

I'm sewing both frames.........time to watch a movie with Tiny.

After both are sewn, I trim neatly at the top and bottom.

I cut out all my pieces for the bodies.

Sewed the seams and test the fit. If I did a good job they fit well, snug but not tight and not too loose either. There is no room for "almost good enough" here.

Time for another movie or two, I'm going to sew the top and bottom by hand.

We made a yummy torte for father's day yesterday. Eight layers with chocolate buttercream and carmel covered wafers on top. It's even better this morning with my latte for breakfast! Hess is putting the on the finishing touches.

YUMMMM!!!

See you later.

Kathi

Keith's cornices

2011-06-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

This might be just about the most difficult project anyone has ever asked me to make. Keith Miller, the designer, wanted a pair of window cornices for his client's sewing room. Normally these are heavy, padded, upholstered things and that is not at all what Keith was envisioning. He wanted them light and airy and shapely.

The toile is Schumacher, the pattern depicts summer, winter, fall and spring.

Here they are finished............I hope I can get a photo of them after they are installed.

The bottom edge is finished with tiny pleats...................you can see that the edge is not a consistent size the whole way, it is wider and then narrower as it curves.

I watched a lot of movies this week..........There is no machine sewing at all on these, it's all done by hand. Start to finish for me was more than 50 hours...........that's a lot of movies!

This is the pleated edge as I was sewing it.

They are all lined of course, the lining was even more difficult than the outside.

The pattern of the toile had to be matched at all the seams.................here you can see how I sewed the seams on the inside by hand.

I'm checking to see how the pattern matches.

My friends at Landbridge Lighting made the frames for us. Here they are the day I picked them up.

Here is the beginning of the frame building. Stephen and Jesse are amazing, they can make anything!

See you later

Kathi

not quite finished

2011-06-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

I've been working on these two for several weeks. They are not quite finished, but almost. It's interesting, it seems that I can see what I'm doing better if I take a photo of it and look at it on my computer screen.

The previous horses that I made were all decked out with saddle and blanket, bridle and reins, I can't seem to make anything that not all trimmed with accessories. In this case though I'm planning to make the extra bits in metal. I'm going to make the saddle in copper repousse. I think, if it turns out the way I'm hoping, that it will be my best piece to date.

This is the lidded jar. I've scrapped the face off several times, not happy at all with my work. The nose was too big, the ears were in the wrong place, lips to big too. I've never made a face this size............it's very difficult for me but I'm so determined.

I decided to replace the ears with handles.

I have to do something about this room. This was Romie's bedroom which we painted in her favorite colors 20 years ago when she was 10. I'm so grateful to have the space to be messy in but I'm spending so much time there now it's starting to bug me.

Until 2 weeks ago it was more of a storage room, stacks of lampshade frames, packing boxes, junk, junk and more junk. I did a major purge and it's better now, but I need to paint.

Wish I had time..........

See you later

Kathi

Pillows for Andy

2011-05-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

Andy asked me to make new pillows for her modern couch. We chose two linens from Pierre Frey, one is a light weave with a glazed finish and the other a soft washable medium weight. For the pair of pillows to go on the sides of the couch I made a reverse applique with the glazed linen behind and washed the pieces so the edges would fray.

We wanted to make a long rectangle pillow for the center of the couch. Andy had ordered little memo samples of the couch fabric and we used them to applique the squares. I made the fringe that I used to outline the squares and to border the knife edge of all three pillows by cutting strips of linen and pulling the threads and washing the pieces.

Here are the two side pillows..........you can see the reverse applique design.

Andy took this picture for me yesterday............we are very happy............looks beautiful. Notice that I took the design of the reverse appliques from the pattern on her rug.

See you later.........Kathi

Guest post by Lis Demco

2011-05-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

I've never considered myself the crafty type. At All. I am good at making friends who can do things I can't though. At the end of college I began to take flying lessons. My flight instructor I would soon learn was totally in love with me. Fortunately the feelings were mutual. As luck would have it, he also knows how to tile. Guess who was invited over to dinner? Guess who was then volunteered into helping me tile a fountain, and then my bathroom, and then my kitchen? Thank god he was in love with me. I got A LOT of stuff done.

I had the good luck to grow up across the street from someone who is talented in so many ways you could probably crash wikipedia trying to describe them all. Neither of us knew that after 30 years of friendship that she'd get inundated with emails from me asking, "How hard would this be?" "Do you think this would work?" "How much do you think that is?" Fortunately Kathi is not only talented she's also patient and a life saver.

From L-R: Jason, Romie (Kathi's daughter), Julie, Lis, Chris

Two years ago my daughter, Madeline, pushed a very special and irreplaceable vase off of a table and shattered it. The man who made it had died as had the tree whose leaves he used for the pattern. My mom was devastated. I considered changing my "we can't move more than 5 miles from my childhood home" to, "Uh, what is the weather like in Alaska this time of year?" Kathi created a new life for the vase. She made it into a beautiful lamp. She saved my butt.

We have several Kathi pieces around our home. Some of our favorites are a lamp that resembles "the stone house" (our highly descriptive term for an abandoned gas station on Rainer avenue), a "Pooh" lamp (really, it's just a bear but Maddie prefers to think of it as Pooh), a custom bench seat in our living room, and our most recent addition, placemats turned pillows from our trip to Mexico in March.

When we were in Mexico I found some placemats that were embroidered with very colorful depictions of animals. I loved them. One problem: We are a messy bunch. Those placemats wouldn't last 5 seconds at our table before someone spilled on them. We really aren't the placemat type of family. If I were to paint a picture for you I'd say imagine 2 kids, 2 adults, lots of napkins for spilled drinks and a black lab hovering below a high chair waiting for food to drop "accidentally". The placemats were beautiful but just weren't going to survive if we used them as intended. I emailed Kathi thinking that there must be another use for them. She said, "BUY THEM." We got home from our trip and I drove to Beacon Hill whereupon she and I looked at her wall of fabrics and she told me to start looking for things to make pillows out of them. I stared blankly at her. Remember, I am not crafty. At all. She sensed the deer in the headlight look I was giving her and started pulling stuff down. Within 3 minutes we she had fabric picked out. Within 3 weeks I had 3 new beautiful pillows to add to my collection.

Kathi, thank you for always being there to answer my questions, direct my crafts and truly provide me with inspiration (and depression when my stuff comes out looking very homemade). I am truly fortunate to have you in my life.

working and working

2011-05-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

I really do nothing but work...............but work is so fun. Thursdays and fridays are metal working. Thursday is class and friday is open studio for practice. I started taking classes in january, a Jewelry I class then a repousse class then another Jewelry I because I zoned out the first quarter making the fold formed leaves so I wasn't paying attention when Sarah was teaching riveting and soldering.

Now I'm trying to attach my leaves and flowers to the stems. I tried to rivet.........Oh my, that's hard. Everything about jewelry making is so tiny, I'm actually working giant size compared to my classmates. I spent 4 hours by myself last night at the soldering station. Maybe every fourth solder held. Anneal again, pickle again, clean again, try again and again and again.

But, I'll get it, it just takes trying!

I've been working on my cookie jar for a few weeks.......no, maybe months. He's at that nice stage now that the clay is so solid and leathery that it's time now for details. I keep hesitating because I want to apply metal to this when it's finished but I'm not sure what or how. I've poked some holes in the top of the knob on the lid so I can entwine some of the metal flowers.

I'll definitely do underglaze while it's greenware.

In the meantime I started another horse, of the elusive horse series started in 2005. When I started learning clay at Pottery Northwest they taught building a figure on an armature so that's how I've been doing it.

All my animal figures have been too too short...........horses, especially, have very thin legs. Thin wet clay legs don't hold up a heavy wet clay horse body. As the clay slowly dries as I'm working on it I carve them thinner then they slump a little more then I carve a little more then it's a short horse.

I'm making this horse not on an armature, not standing up at all till today. I made him totally lying down so far. He's still lying down all day while I'm not working on him. I'll be working on him for several more weeks at least.

I picked up these lamps from Landbridge Lighting this week. These are two of the repousse pieces that I made last month. I don't know what the lampshades will be yet, probably little rectangle shapes in plain linen.

Can you see that the repousse bird motif on the shorter lamp is the same as the embroidery on my lampshade on the ball lamp?

See you later

Kathi

Layering

2011-05-14T13:50:00.001-07:00

Metalsmithing class has started again and I've been excited to start a new project that I could design mixing the clay and the metal. I'm using what I learned in the last repousse class to start a collection of copper pieces which I'm going to attach the the head that I'm making.

They may be around the top of the head which is going to come off, it's a jar, I guess.

I've learned a lot at these metalsmithing classes. Mostly about carving. When I was taking classes at the pottery school I was impressed by the way I saw sculpture created in a very spontaneous way and I tried to work that way. I find now that for me, I have to treat it more as carving.

I'll work on this head lots more, this is just a middle stage now. I'll make more metal pieces, as many as I can make in the next six classes. It's a big deal to set up a metal work bench at home but, believe me, I'm thinking about it!

See you later.

Kathi

Finishing Mary Anne's bedding

2011-04-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

The bird fabric arrived from Classic Cloth this week and I was able to work on Mary Anne's bedding again. I made a blanket which is also a duvet. The beautiful cotton bird print is backed with a cotton plaid from Pierre Frey. The plaid is quilted with a light batting.

The long decorative pillow is a combination of fabrics again.........the center piece is a printed linen from Hodsoll Mckenzie which I quilted and washed and appliqued and embroidered a little.

I made a boxed edge with my favorite Travers linen and the double flanges are a poly blend from Fabricut.

The blanket is reversible and convertible to a duvet if she wants to put the comforter inside. It's zippered along the bottom edge.

Remember the embroidered bird ottoman and these pillows? The pillows are going on Mary Anne's bed with the blanket and the decorative pillow and the ottoman is in the room with an upholstered chair done in the same fabric.

In this photo you can see the black wood beads..............you can just see a little bit of the drapes that are going in this room also. They are aqua silk with the gold ruffled border and the wood bead trim.

Mary Anne lives in eastern Washington..........I wish I could see this whole room put together. Maybe we'll see pictures later.........I'm pretty sure I won't be driving over there to see it.

It looks like a bird theme to me.

See you later

Kathi

working and playing

2011-04-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

Work this week...................two more lampshades for Melinda to ship to Laguna Beach. The designer, Kris Church and I have been working together for several years creating this look. On this project she is pushing the boundaries of materials.

The shade on the left is silk and wool and leather!! The wool is a sheer from Rogers & Goffigon, shirred in the cuff, the silk is C & C Milano and the leather trim is from Samuel & Sons.

On the right, the material here is also wool from Claremont. I love the check cut on the bias. The trim is also from Claremont.

Then I got to play a little...................

My twelve week metalsmithing class is over, finished last night. These pieces are the sum of my effort and three lamps will be the result. The two repousse on copper will be mounted on the wood and built to be small lamps.

I learned how to solder on thursday night and on friday night I was able to successfully solder the stems on.

The column you see here is an antique textile wrapped around a wood core. The stemmed leaves will be wrapped around it and built into a lamp. I think the base will be rusted steel. I still have another dozen leaves that I didn't have time to solder to the stems.

The next class doesn't start till May 5Th. I'm so hooked on this..........it's going to be tough to wait till then but there are cobwebs to dust off the clay table upstairs!

The second repousse that I made is the same bird motif that I embroidered on the linen lampshade.

See you later.

Kathi

The Gauguin floor lamp

2011-03-28T15:31:00.001-07:00

I just picked up the finished floor lamp from Jesse at Landbridge Lighting. I'm really happy with the way he built it............it weighs a ton.

The canvas is going to be sewn in the square frame.

Also, in this picture is the first part of Mary Anne's duvet. The yellow plaid from Classic Cloth has been quilted and I'm still waiting for the back ordered bird print that's going on the front. This is going in the bedroom with the embroidered bird ottoman that I showed you last week.

I'm going to start cutting my pieces from this part at the bottom. I like the detail of the fruit and the colors, too.

I have a new project starting this week. These are vintage tapestries from Belgium. Wait to you see these finished...................you're not going to believe the trim! I'll have them finished in a few days. We are making these to hang from decorative rods.

It's always interesting.............every day brings some new and fun project!

I shipped these to Melinda last week. The paisley is linen from Bennison. The red check is linen from C & C Milano. The blue check is linen from Rose Tarlow. All the trim is Samuel & Sons.

My friend Nancy is one of the fasted needlepointers I've ever met. At least 5 of them in the last year. The flanges and back and boxed edge is fabric from Donghia.

There are lots of fun new projects coming up soon.............Keep in touch!

See you later.

Kathi

Repousse class

2011-03-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

Most people when they are thinking about taking a vacation they book a flight to Mexico or Hawaii. Not me!

I'm taking a vacation at the metalsmithing studio. I took the day off today and worked on this piece of copper.

This is repousse. It's a technique that is used on a malleable piece of metal, in this case I'm working on copper. This is my first attempt..........I spent way too long on it because I didn't have any familiarity with the tools or the process.

Do you think it looks kinda like my embroidery?

To make the copper malleable you anneal it by heating it with a torch and then pickling it and cleaning it.

This is so much fun..............next you warm up an iron bowl of pine pitch, which smells really good. Then, using lots of different shaped tools, you start hammering where you want the design. I started by outlining my picture. After you work on one side, you take it out, burn off the residual pitch, anneal it and clean it again and flip it over and chase it on the other side.

This is my piece after the first class. It has a ways to go.

This is my original drawing..............inspired by embroidery.

See you later.

Kathi

Some more about Theresa

2011-03-23T06:36:00.001-07:00

I found this settee on the sidewalk one day. No kidding...............just the frame you understand though. I slammed on the brakes and stopped a passerby to help be load it in the back of my car. Mary Hansen had the vision to choose the two printed cotton velvets from Old World Weavers to create the upholstery. I love the long bench cushion that is feather filled, it's so squishy! Then I got to make the pillows!

This is one of the first lamps that I made for Theresa about ten years ago. I was making lamps with found junk then, the brass flowers and the metal pieces on the base were applied to the antique wood base. Even though I don't make lamps like this any more, I still like this one very much, it has stood the test of time.

Theresa and I went to Paris in 2003 to visit the flea markets. We found this marble column lamp at my favorite Porte de Vanves market. I also made the pillows that she has on her bed. They are all antique fabrics, quilted and washed of course.

We found these two sconces at Porte de Vanves also and I made the little beaded shades for them. These are in the powder room.

I met Theresa when I had my first little lamp shop in Seattle in 1997. Her office was across the street so she wandered in one day to see what was going on.

Shorty loves her because she always has chicken jerky for him!!

See you later.

Kathi

The embroidered ottoman

2011-03-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

The embroidered ottoman came back from the upholsterers and it looks great.

For the whole year before I started this blog I told myself that it was just no good that I wouldn't be able to photograph the things that I make in their homes. But, I'm OK with that now. This blog is about the making of things and that's what I want to show you.

Mary Ann lives in eastern Washington so I'll probably never see it in place. The chair that goes with it is upholstered in the same Scalamandre as the skirt of the ottoman.

These two pillows are on her bed. In this photo you see one front and one back. She can flip them and have two different looks.

The designer for this project is the fabulous..........Mary Hansen.

The boxed edges have the Scalamandre fabric.

The stripe fabric is from Great Plains. I quilted it and washed it first and did a border with a small wool houndstooth, on the bias and a vintage trim.

The flanges are fabric from Fabricut.

On the other side the plaid is Classic Cloth by Dessin Fournir and of course I quilted and washed it first. The trim around the border is vintage.

Here is the embroidery that I did for the top of the ottoman. I used linen from Travers which is my favorite base for embroidery.

I'm going to be making the duvet for the bed also. We are waiting for the fabric to come from Classic Cloth. It's a big floral print with birds. I took the bird design for the embroidery from this print. I'll be making the duvet next week.

Can't wait!!

See you later.

Kathi

Fashion photo shoot

2011-03-21T09:07:00.001-07:00

I'm not a girly girl, never have been. No makeup, no fancy clothes, it's just not my thing.............but it sure is fun to watch. One of my favorite blogs that I read every week is "Sea of Shoes". Jane is so adorable.......... it's so not my thing but I can't resist looking to see what she is wearing today!

So...............My friend Cheri Ellis is putting together a lookbook for her dresses. This is not a line but these are one of a kind and very wearable little works of art.

I hosted a photo shoot here at my house yesterday for her. The whole crew showed up at 8 am and what a fun day we had! It was more like a party!

This is Cheri pinning a flower on Lanna's dress.

This faux painted arch is between my sewing studio and the middle room. Let me explain what's going on here. Behind Izzy is a painting on canvas that is tacked to the wall upstairs in Shorty's bedroom. I brought it downstairs and we tacked it up behind the arch to make this backdrop for the photograph.

Obviously, I stood way back to take this picture, but Nina, the photographer came in much closer for her shot.

Hair and makeup by the professionals, Monique and Nicky.

OK.......so behind the faux painted arch is the back side of the painting on canvas. Yes, it's painted on both sides. Two paintings in one.

I took lots more pictures yesterday............this is just a sample of behind the scenes.

Nina Pak is an amazing photographer.............you can see her work on her website.

http://www.ninapak.com ............I promise you won't be disappointed!

You can also see more of Cheri's artwork on her website. You won't believe how beautiful her hand painted furniture is!

http://www.cheriaellis.com

See you later

Kathi

Tree to table

2011-03-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

My friend Theresa had an elm tree in her backyard that needed to be removed. It was a big tree so she called an arborist to cut it down. Then she called Chris to handle the base , which he cut into slabs on site so he could easily carry out the pieces. He let the slabs dry for a few months then took them to a kiln drier.

That was a big tree and Theresa wanted to use the wood to build a new dining room table.

This is Mr Chris, my husband and he's telling Hess, my son, all about it! The wood shop is the whole first floor of this house. Let me tell you, this house hums. No, that's no quite right........ table saws, routers, planers, sanders.............working night and day.............some days it's like living in a...............woodworking shop.

And don't get me started............you don't want to know about the dust!!

Here's the base of the table in progress. She wanted to know if it could be finished by Thanksgiving.....................Christmas...................how about Christmas?

Theresa wanted two 12" leaves for each end so she could seat 12 or more for dinner. Here you can see how Chris is making the extensions.

Theresa loves her new table.

See you later.

Kathi

One of the best things I ever made

2011-03-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

This is my daughter Romiette, beautiful in heart and soul. These photos are 10 years old, she was barely out of high school and I treasure them. My friend Cheri is an artist in several mediums and here she displays her talent in body painting, dress making and millinery. The photos are taken by Mary Ingraham.

What a superb hat!

Romie is sitting on the counter in my kitchen.

I am hosting a photo fashion shoot here at my house this sunday. Cheri has just put up her website and is shooting new photos for her look book.

Do take a look at her website............... her work is outstanding!!

http://www.cheriaellis.com

See you later

Kathi

beaded lamps

2011-03-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

I know you've seen this beaded wire. Usually it's found on antique french chandeliers and sconces. I found 2 rolls of it, unused, at Clignancourt a few years ago. Since it's a raw material it took me a while to figure out what I was going to do with it.

Stephen at Landbridge, the master of raw materials, was able to make my vision a reality and he built these three lamps for me.

Using the beaded wire, he wrapped the turned wood core perfectly.

This is the only photo I have of the first one which we made in 2003. I sold it to Billy Crystal and it's now in his home in Los Angeles.

This is the second one we made and I don't have a picture of it with the lampshade. I sold this to Janet and it's now in her house in Palm Springs.

This is the third one. Stephen just finished it and it's here in my house. The lampshade is linen from Great Plains and the trim is velvet. He made the drops using antique marbles that I bought at the flea market.

Stephen always makes the finial to match!

Here's the last bit of the beaded wire. The tiny seed beads are strung on a light wire and then wrapped around a larger core wire.

Next, I'm going to make my own beaded wire.............Think what could be done by using other colors of beads, mixing and matching, creating design within the beads. There's just no end to things I want to make!

See you later.

Kathi

this week for Melinda

2011-03-15T08:48:00.001-07:00

When I lived in Aspen in 2002 and had my little lamp shop I was lucky to have met Kristeen Church. She is a designer who has lived and worked there for many years. There is no link to Kris, she has no website but she is one of the busiest designers working in that area.

Since 2002 I've had the pleasure to work with her on a project every year. We have developed together a "look" that I think is unique.

Kris designs the total house and the lampshades are the icing on the cake. All the lampshades for the table lamps and the floor lamps have the bordered cuff at the bottom and usually the have two different fabrics and two different trims.

The lampshade in the first photo is going in the kitchen on a lamp that is made from an antique teapot. The green and yellow check cotton is all fabric from Chelsea Editions and the trim is Samuel & Sons.

The six little shades are going on the kitchen chandelier. The linen is from Italy, a company called "Twill". This is the first time I've used fabric from Twill and I love it. The trim is from Claremont.

This blue plaid is silk taffeta from Claremont and the trim is Samuel & Sons. This is going on a small table lamp in the master bathroom.

These oval lampshades are for a pair of bedside lamps in one of the guest bedrooms. The embroidered cotton is from Chelsea Editions and the shirred border is linen from Rose Tarlow. The trim is Samuel & Sons.

Fifteen lampshades finished............Sixty more to make!

See you later.

Kathi

pillow with crewel

2011-03-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

My clients include a few who love needlepoint. They can either be vintage, bought at the flea markets or even better when they actually do the needlepoint themselves.

This pillow is done in the tiniest cross stitch and Kari did this one herself. I'm really impressed! What beautiful work!

I made this pillow for her yesterday. The flanges are linen, a heavier weight than the linen of the background fabric. She wanted it very plain without any fancy border or trim.

We like this very much.

Here is a closeup of her tiny stitches. Good job Kari!

See you later

Kathi

driftwood lamp with wrought steel decoration

2011-03-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

I finished the embroidery on the Travers linen and completed the lampshade yesterday for this lamp. The wood is driftwood from the beach which Chris turned on the lathe. Stephen at Landbridge built the lamp and created the wrought steel decoration. I will be putting the lamps for sale on my website soon.

This blog is so great for me because I can do it all myself. The website is "UGH", I have to get my tech guy to do it.........plus I have to set up the backdrop and the lights and the camera on the tripod. So much work.............I would rather be sewing today.

But, in the meantime, inquiries are always welcome.

I started to do my own embroidery on the lampshades about 6 months ago. I had been making lampshades with crewel fabric and loved the play of light through the embroidery.

You know me though...........I've got to do it the hard way. The embroidery takes time, this one about 20 hours. It's my meditation. But look at the light through the linen and the charming bird and cherries.

Here is a closeup of the detail that Stephen did. He did a light stain and wax finish on the driftwood.

Detail view of the embroidery.

Stephen always makes the finial to match the lamp...........just another detail to make it perfect.

See you later.

Kathi

I'm making this week

2011-03-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

This week I finished two more lampshades for Melinda's collection to ship to Laguna Beach. The one in blue and yellow is all materials from Chelsea Editions with trim from Samuel & Sons and Claremont. The burgundy shade is fabric from Gracieux and the trim is Claremont.

I'm starting a new lamp base. I rolled out some coils and I'll start building in the round this time. I need a new form to use with the copper leaves and flowers that I'm making in metalsmithing class. I don't know what this shape will be.........it will be created in progress. I just know that it will be round.

Here is the finished collection of copper leaves and flowers. I'm really happy with my new skills and all the potential to create new and unique lamp bases. I've signed up for the next class which starts in 2 weeks. The new class is repousse. Can't wait!!

I uncovered this and will let it dry now. This is not finished color, it will change in the first firing. I layered the underglaze on the wet clay as I was carving the detail. We'll see when I open the kiln........it's always a big surprise!

See you later

Kathi

Neighborhood

2011-03-04T07:50:00.001-08:00

My thoughts today are inspired by a blog reading experience early this morning. I was enjoying my usual predawn coffee with my laptop in the kitchen linking from one post to another and happened upon A Melange Et Moi. The woman who writes this lives in Florence, Italy. I always look at the blogroll to see if there is anything new and interesting there. I was stunned to see my photo from yesterday and my name there! (I love the blogroll with the photo attached.)

So I'm thinking about neighborhood..........

It was almost 2 years ago that I closed my retail studio location here in Seattle. It's taken me that long to deal with the pain I felt when I had to finally give up and admit that the neighborhood was not going to be supportive. Yes it's true........I'm different.........I don't make things that look the same as the merchandise you see in every retail store.

But there were a few people who got it, who liked my work and supported my endeavor. Jennifer was one of them. The lamps in these photos are a few that we designed together. In the first photo, the lampshade is made with Fortuny and Rose Tarlow, the trim is Ralph Lauren.

I love the shape of this frame as it allows me to use the shirring in the corners. The silk is Fabricut and the trim is Houles.

Just a simple drum shape with silk shirring all the way around and vintage trim on a stunning antique glass lamp.

Jennifer bought these two candlesticks in Italy and I had Stephen at Landbridge drill them through and wire them. The silk is Fabricut and the trim is Samuel & Sons.

My point is this: I'm working at home now and I thought I would die without my retail studio. But now I realize that my neighborhood is the whole world and that's a much bigger neighborhood!

Thank you everyone who is reading!!

See you later.

Kathi

you gotta know these guys

2011-03-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

I showed you this picture before. We have this big oil painting, it's very old, from a movie set in 1942. It's been hanging around for a long time and it's too big to live in the house. It was outside all last summer but it didn't like being in the weather.

I took a slice off one side to experiment and to see if I could sew it in a lampshade frame. It worked very well combined with the linen. The light through the old crackling oil paint is quite nice.

Look how much is left to work with. So..........now my plan!! I've just ordered a new frame that is 18" x 19" x 15" tall. Square, of course.

I've mentioned my friends at Landbridge Lighting several times and now I want you to meet them. They are so talented and I'm in love (with the work they do).

This is Jesse. He's fabricating for me this floor lamp that will have the Gauguin lampshade. The lamp is sandblasted now but the finish will be darkened steel when it's complete.

This is Stephen, he's working on something on the metal lathe. They can make anything for you. They are also a UL shop and can handle all your wiring needs.

See you later

Kathi

lampshades with Chelsea Editions

2011-02-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

My project this weekend was a pair of lampshades for Melinda in Laguna Beach. The fabric is all Chelsea Editions and the trim is Samuel & Sons. These will be on a pair of bedside lamps in one of the guest bedrooms.

I wish I could see them in place.

See you later.

Kathi

Seattle Times story

2011-02-27T06:08:00.000-08:00

It's nice to be noticed! Becky Teagarden wrote a story for me. Thanks Becky!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2014195306_pacificpnwl27.html

Embroidery for a new ottoman

2011-02-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

I've been doing an embroidery on linen this week. Mary Hansen is designing a new bedroom ensemble for Mary Ann. This piece is going to the upholsterer today for the top of a new ottoman. I took the bird and branch design from the fabric that we are going to use for her bedspread. The border fabric from Scalamandre will be repeated in the skirt which will have box pleats at the corners.

The embroidery finished on the Travers linen.

More detail.

I'm still working on this lamp base a bit every day. I'm layering underglaze and carving a bit more as I add detail to the corners.

See you later

Kathi

Kelly's house

2011-02-19T10:45:00.000-08:00

We love love love beautiful fabrics but sometimes an inexpensive material can be made extraordinary with the details of workmanship. Here is a perfect example. This aqua silk was very reasonably priced and we bought a lot of it.

I drew my design freehand on muslin which was layered with batting and the silk. I quilted it from the back with the sewing machine. The boxed border edge is shirred and the pleats are made with silk in a slightly darker shade of turquoise.

It's a beautiful ottoman in this gorgeous room.

On the white chair in the background is a pillow made with chenille from Casa Bini.

These two little lamps have shades made with silk from Stroheim and the trim is vintage.

Bolsters and pillows on the window seat in the dining room.

Beautiful metallic fabric from Rodolph made this pillow shine.

On the stripe settee, two pillows made with inexpensive silk, quilted and trimmed with vintage ribbon borders.

See you later.

Kathi

Ben's house

2011-02-18T08:43:00.001-08:00

Ben is a very unusual young man. As part owner of the world class Zig Zag Cafe in Seattle he has mastered the ability to create a warm, inviting and extremely sexy environment not only in his cocktail lounge but also in his home. We started our projects together with this hanging light. He brought me the antique hanging metallic fringe and we designed the shape of the frame and had it made by Aro Wire in Los Angeles. The red silk on this is from Kravet.

Most modern young men wouldn't give a second thought to lampshades. But Ben has a unique appreciation for the warmth and charm that light brings to a room.

This little hand carved wood lamp on his dresser has red silk from Libas.

He likes the curve of this frame that reminds him of the female figure. This floor lamp by his bed is made with a crewel fabric from Lee Jofa.

In his breakfast nook this ceramic lamp is covered with a Rose Tarlow linen and the trim is Travers.

See you later

Kathi

Landing at the top of the stairs

2011-02-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

On the upstairs landing on the way to the office and the bedrooms and the clayroom are two more of my ceramic pieces. This early horse and rider has a shiny underglaze which I don't like at all, I much prefer the matte finish. I threw out all that was left in those bottles and switched to the Mayco underglazes.

The tree stump lamp has a cold finish with a rust patina. The lampshade is the woven raffia by Pindler.

See you later.

Kathi

new ceramic lamp base

2011-02-11T16:22:00.001-08:00

It's been about 10 days I think since I rolled out the clay and cut the four pieces for this new lamp base. It takes that much time for the clay dry enough to shape it.

My plan for this piece is to carve the pattern and start applying underglaze layers. I'm getting my inspiration from a book about embroidery. There are great pictures of floral designs and fantastical bugs and butterflies and animals of all sorts.

This is FUN!!

See you later

Kathi

Metalsmithing class

2011-02-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

I started a new class last month, today was the fourth class of eight. I'd been thinking for a while about trying metalsmithing because I wanted to add a new element to the things I'm making. The prospect of starting something new was daunting but I reminded myself how difficult ceramics was at the beginning and how many years it took to get comfortable with it.

So many new tools and so much to learn. I'm so glad I took the plunge........... Sarah, our teacher is a gem. It's a beginning class so everyone is as clueless as I am.

Sarah started the first class with a lesson in sawing, the most basic skill one needs to learn and one of the hardest. In this photo you can see five little flower shapes that are about one inch in diameter. Each one took about an hour to cut out. I almost gave up right then.

I made these five leaf shapes today, the ones that are 3 dimensional. They were pretty quick maybe 2 hours to make all five. These are not sawn but folded and snipped with metal shears.

I tried out several hammers to get just the right beat up appearance. This is copper that I'm practicing with.

I'm planning to add these to the new ceramic piece I'm working on now.

See you later

Kathi

New embroidery and Facebook

2011-02-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing to have a small break between projects. I'm waiting for the fabrics to arrive for Amanda's bedspreads and waiting for the next frame order for Melinda's lampshades so I have a couple of days to create. Stephen finished these two lamps for me last month and I've chosen a pair of rectangle frames for the shades. There is a small piece of Traver's linen left, just enough to make the eight panels.

I'm going to do another embroidery, just the front 2 panels, not all the way around this time. I drew two birds on brown paper and transfered them to the linen. There's going to be a lot of movie watching for the next couple days.

I have a Facebook page...........I like Facebook a lot, mostly because it gives me insight into my kids lives that I wouldn't normally see. Romie posts something every day, sometimes several times a day. I know how she is, how she's feeling, how she slept, how work is going. I don't have to intrude by phoning and asking "How are you doing today?" I like that.

Hess posts photos a couple times a week, mostly skiing or hiking or cooking with his friends. I like that.

When I ask people if they're on Facebook I usually hear disbelief in their voices........like of course not, that's so dumb.

But what's really cool is when someone "friends" me out of the blue, someone from WAY back. That happened yesterday...............Cynthia from my childhood, from 1962. Who would have thought that possible till now, till Facebook. It's changing relationships.................it's allowing new possibilities. I really like that.

See you later.

Kathi

sculptural lamps with lifeboat plugs

2011-02-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

It must have been twenty years ago that was the first and only time I went to Brimfield. I had been bitten by the "flea" as everyone had then. Go to Paris to Clignancourt, go to Brimfield, get there early, rush to beat the crowds to the good stuff. I followed the pack.

I love the hunt, still do...........but I don't. There is not much there that surprises me.

I love it though when I find something like this. On the ground, in a box under the table were these lifeboat plugs. Turned by hand in a spiral pattern so they could temporarily plug a lifeboat hit by bullets.

I had Stephen at Landbridge Lighting build the framework and wire them for me. The woven raffia is by Pindler (I think my memory is correct, it was a long time ago.)

Patti bought this pair and they are in her husband's study, next to the couch.

See you later

Kathi

Hanging around

2011-02-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

The cool thing about custom lamp shades is the infinite possibilities of size and shape. I've been working with Aro Wire in Los Angeles for 13 years, as long as I've been making custom lamp shades.

Since my desk top is always crowded with stuff like this there is no room for a lamp on the table. I sketched this shape and sent it with measurements to Aro to be fabricated.

Of course, my friends at Landbridge Lighting built the interior two-bulb cluster and the chain for me.

It puts the light right where I need it.

See you later

Kathi

Getting to know you

2011-02-05T07:06:00.000-08:00

If you have read my posts here in the last five weeks since I started writing regularly you will know that I am in the business of making things. I have been working at this all of my adult life, forty four years since I left home at seventeen. Fame and fortune will never be known to me but I know joy every day when I complete my project and I am able to bring an object of beauty and perfection to my client.

For the better part of thirteen years I supported a retail studio space in order to be accessible to the public and to be visible. When I say that I supported a retail space, that's exactly what I mean because I supported it, it did not support me.

Mary B came to visit me here at home yesterday. I met her when she walked into my studio about three years ago and we designed a few projects together for her townhouse in Seattle. She told me that by reading my blog she learned more about me than she knew from our face to face conversations over that period of time.

That's what I've always wanted...............I think that's what every human needs, to be known, to be understood. And I know now that I was never going to find that in a retail situation.

My readers here are averaging 15 to 20 per day but I'm encouraged because I think I have touched a couple people who are commenting every day and I am grateful!!

I'm bleeding a little on the keyboard, I know that, but it's not going to stop. I'm not writing this blog because I want to just sell by work..............it's much more than that to me.

In this photo is a lampshade that was my project for the last two days. The fabric is from Gracieux and the trim is Samuel & Sons. Over the next couple months I have 20 or more lampshades to make for Melinda for her new house in Laguna Beach. They will all be exquisite as she chooses the absolute best fabrics..............I received several this week from Chelsea Editions, the most amazing embroidered fabrics I've ever seen. I can't wait till the frames arrive!

Thanks for reading today............I have to clean the mess off the keyboard now!

See you later.

Kathi

Sweet dreams

2011-02-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

Mary Hansen is designing a bedroom for her twelve year old client. She chose these two stripe fabrics from Rose Cumming and the orange plaid from the Classic Cloth Collection by Dessin Fournir. We decided to quilt the pink stripe and the orange plaid and wash them so they would both be soft and textured. I like to make a duvet this way, with a boxed edge and tiny flanges and a buttoned closure.

This decorative pillow uses both stripe fabrics and two colors of pleated grosgrain ribbon, some vintage trim and pompoms that I made with ribbon.

I wish I could see the bed all dressed, but not possible this time.

This lamp is going on her bedside table. I made the lampshade incorporating all the colors in her room.

See you later

Kathi

Come on in the kitchen

2011-02-03T04:55:00.000-08:00

When I closed my retail studio in june 2009 it worried me that I would have to make the transition to working at home. Since I had maintained a retail storefront for most of the last thirteen years I initially considered that I had taken a step back, a step down and that working from home was not professional and that my clients would be hesitant to visit me here.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Now, when I open the front door and invite someone in, my heart swells with pride when I see the look on their faces. We come into the kitchen first and then on through to the sewing studio. Everything about this house is unique because Chris built it all for us.

This is where I sit in the morning with my coffee and my laptop......... my nook.

For valentines day about 20 years ago Chris let me pick the colored tiles for the walls. I love the way he set them harlequin style.

We collected a lot of pottery in the early, before Martha years and I use it all.

See you later..........

Kathi

starting several new projects and completing others

2011-02-01T14:11:00.001-08:00

I finished these two ceramic figures a few months ago and they are now ready to take to Landbridge Lighting for their wiring. They will both have driftwood for their bases. My intention when I started to work in clay was to make lamp bases...........I love them!!

I just unwrapped this figure to let her dry before firing. I carved pattern on her dress and did a bit of underglazing on it so it will have color out of the first firing.

I rolled some clay this morning and I'm going to let it dry a bit before I join the four seams. My intention is to make a lamp base shape so that I can continue to explore the underglazing and carving technique that I used on the last figure.

Two fabrics arrived yesterday for my next projects. This linen is from "Le Gracieux". I'm making a lampshade for a floor lamp for Melinda who lives in Laguna Beach. I'll post a photo in a few days when it's finished.

This one also came yesterday. This spectacular Clarence House linen is going to be a duvet cover for one of Amanda's guest bedrooms. The bed is an old brass bed that she had painted at an auto body shop in a deep pink color. The back of this duvet will be red linen and the flanges and tiny boxed edge will be either green or yellow, we haven't decided.

I better get to WORK!!

See you later

Kathi

at the sewing table and this weekend's project

2011-01-31T11:45:00.000-08:00

Pat brought me these two silver lamps which were her grandmother's and asked me to make white lampshades for them. She had this specific design in mind with the borders at the top and bottom. The borders are not just shirred but shirred and slightly askew.

This is very tiny detail work and difficult to do because the fabric is so fine. I think the result is well worth the effort.

This is my sewing table which I'm showing you because Maureen asked to see some more of my ceramic work. The ceramic tree lamp, of course, and also the sconce. I made the piece as a plaque and had my friends at Landbridge Lighting build the armature for the little shades.

The girl sculpture is a very early bit of work, I'm still not very good at figures, but I keep trying because I love it.

See you later

Kathi

some things I made with beach rocks

2011-01-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

The table base is tiny beach stones set with mortar. It's not going anywhere, this table is so damn heavy, it takes two people and a dolly to move it. I don't know why I didn't think of that.......it was just the effect I was after. As long as we live in this house it will stay in this corner. The lamp is vintage driftwood trimmed with seashells. The small round table is turned out of driftwood.

This is where I sit most days hand sewing. The floor lamp is set with beach stones. I'm making lampshades today.

The picture below is in my sewing studio. The lamp is made with just the black rocks. The lampshade is made with linen from Great Plains. The rhino sculpture is one of my ceramic pieces which I fired outside in the firepit.

The coast of Washington state is rugged and cold. There are no bikinis here, everyone you meet walking on the beach is fully dressed and invariably wearing a parka and boots. And everyone is walking with their heads down looking for agates.

I was hooked the first time I set foot on the sand at Ocean Shores. I filled my pockets the first time and the next time out brought several bags. After that I made Chris come with me and we hiked for miles filling our pails with beautiful, sand polished beach rocks.

I knew I wanted to use them for mosaic and Chris helped me by making lathe turned wood shapes that I used as my base.

I made thirty or so table lamps and eight floor lamps and one table with my beach stones. That will be the end of this series..........it was totally a labor of love making these and not a profitable product to sell at all. I'm happy I still have 3 lamps in my house and the table.

And I have four 5 gallon buckets of rocks out in the yard waiting......................I know I'll use them someday. I always wanted to do a fireplace surround with them, I think it would be spectacular!

See you later

Kathi

One man's garage

2011-01-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

Are you kidding me?

The flat screen is on a zip line and travels the length of the beam and swivels so they can sit in the car and pretend they are at the drive-in.

You can see a better closeup of the lamps in my studio.

I am so lucky to have met Amanda and Greg. We are doing projects in their house but today I finished and installed these two lamps in Greg's garage. Using gear parts, my friend Stephen from Landbridge Lighting built the two lamps for us. The linen on the lampshades is from the Vervain collection by Barry Dixon.

What man wouldn't want a garage like this?

See you later

Kathi

A lot of big pillows

2011-01-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

I just laughed when I looked at these first 2 pictures because of the face reflected in the mirror.

I put all my finished work on this table waiting to be picked up or shipped. I don't always get to take pictures in a clients home so I have to make do here. You can see a picture of the pillows on their beds if you click on the link to LA Times Magazine at the end of this post.

Lots of big pillows.

The gold ones are so fine.

A stack of hand woven Guatemalan blankets made into pillows and twelve alpaca bolsters.

Every project is different, that's mostly what I love about my work. Every job is a new opportunity to me to learn, whether it's a new technique in sewing or an entirely different skill altogether.

I met Carol two years ago when I was asked to sew pillows for her home which was being built on Lopez Island. Over the next year and a half I made 41 pillows.

Carol brought me antique Indonesian textiles which were so spectacularly beautiful they should be in a museum. Old and fairly fragile they needed to be backed with linen and completely stitched down by hand. These a very large pillows, with no zippers and topstitched by hand around both sides of the boxed edge. We made twelve of these.

The other group of twelve were the same size, 45" x 24", but made in linen. Carol brought 11 antique, hand-woven linen sheets. She looked specifically for the sheets that are more coarsely woven and a darker straw color. She had them all custom dyed a rich, deep brown. These are also hand topstitched around both sides of the boxed edge.

The next group of five are hand woven Guatemalan wool blankets. We kept the fringe on both ends and backed them with a dark brown wool.

Then twelve alpaca bolsters.

This beautiful home was published last month in the LA Times Magazine.

http://www.latimesmagazine.com/2010/12/social-engineering.html

It's unbelievably fabulous!!

So, back to what I was saying..............What I learned on this project is that there is no detail too small and that "good enough" is NOT good enough, that only perfection is perfect.

Every job that I've done since has been enriched by my new found awareness for fine tailoring details in home soft goods.

See you later

Kathi

True Mary Style

2011-01-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

My friend Mary Hansen happily lives the "Bloomsbury life" in her tiny house in Seattle. She covers the walls with her paintings, designs ceramics, cultivates the gardens and forms a unique collection of domestic and interior design. We've been designing and creating together for more than fifteen years.

On this little settee I made the three pillows, the one in the center is knit with ribbon, the other two...........a combination of color and texture and borders and trim.

Of course, the lampshades in Mary's house will never be white.

This chair was one of my first upholstery projects. The fabric is antique linen which I dyed and quilted and I dyed the trim to match. Those were the good old days..........who has time any more?

Another one of my lamps in Mary's office, the fabric is Scalamandre. The beads are big red hunks of coral.

In the living room a cloisonne lamp base has a shapely frame covered with fabrics from Pindler and Rose Tarlow with several antique trims.

The nightstand by her bed has a vintage ceramic lamp. When I made this lampshade about 5 years ago the fabric was red............look what the sun did...........it's lavender now. We don't care, it's so lovely!!

See you later

Kathi

destroyed and rebuilt donghia pillows

2011-01-18T06:31:00.001-08:00

Carol brought me a set of three pillows which she had purchased ready made and were in her guest room. They were large, 30" x 30" and were somewhat over-filled, not squishy the way we like our down pillows. She asked me to take some of the feathers out to soften them and she said, "do you think if we put them through the delicate wash we could get a bit of the shine off the fabric"?

No problem..........I thought.............OH NO!! When I took them out of the wash they were about 20" x 20"!! The content is part wool.

That was six months ago. Thank goodness she gave me the opportunity to save them........and myself.

I took the zippers out and the seams and gave them a good steam pressing. I was able to bring them back to a size about 24" x 27".

I have to rant here............I just don't understand the way most pillows are made. This is expensive fabric sew together the quickest and cheapest way possible...........four seams and a zipper..............what a waste.

I backed the material with muslin first and made flanges and a boxed edge with linen. These boxed edges are tapered from the center at 2" to the corners at 1"..........way more work, yes, but what a fine detail.

Zippers are always sewn in BY HAND!

The finished pillows are gorgeous!!

See you later.........

Kathi