Confessions of a Souvenir Textile Addict

Silk saris from Mumbai, catching their first glimpse
of the world outside the closet in over a year

Some people collect postcards from their travels, or shot glasses, or kitchen tools, or tribal masks... Personally I never thought of myself as collecting much of anything, until recently I realized I've got two whole drawers filled to bursting with bolts of fabric from various Asian locales. So I suppose it's time to admit it: I collect fabric. Block-printed Indian cotton, Vietnamese silk, Tibetan yak wool—you name an exotic textile, chances are I've schlepped it in my suitcase. And something tells me that among Apartment Therapy readers, I'm not the only one. So today, in honor of Escapes Month, I'm hoping my fellow addicts can help me out with some suggestions for just exactly what to do with all of this fabric I've got tucked away...

There are the obvious options, of course—having pillows made, or clothing, or table linens. As you can see, I even put one actual souvenir, an Indian sari, to work as a table skirt in my office, to hide the unsightly wires under a desk. (By the way, please excuse the off colors in the photo, as well as the icky Ikea sawhorse desk, a "temporary" solution that's lasted years.) But I'm curious about more creative ways to use souvenir textiles at home.

Any ideas? If you like to bring home fabrics from abroad, how do you use them?

(Images: Susie Nadler for Apartment Therapy)

Comments (29)

as an accent on solid color curtains, doll clothes for a doll you'd display, or display a scarf in a frame by itself

Tent an entire room and then fill it full of throw pillows and start an opium lounge. No, really.

I second framing them, but a lot in a large group like you've probably seen on many posts here before.

I know what you are talking about. I remember those days, when I used to live in India, draping the gorgeous Sarees, dupattas/shawls etc. I miss that. Well, also I came to USA with innumerable Indian fabrics. too. I think I have the disease too.
One thing I did when I went back this time, I turned few of my old Indian sarees into curtains. If you have heavier fabric, cushion cover, or even a slip cover for the sofa is a good option.
In my child's room, I drape a fabric over the window as a swath. Or I turn a fabric into a small bed tent for her.

Framing is a great Idea too. Or you could get a wooden ladder and display your fabrics on it, like I see people do it with quilts. After all, it is an art in itself.

I collect fabric as well and use them in all kinds of projects for myself and as presents. Normally I make sundresses (2 yards) because there's no way I can have too many. I've also hung some beautiful scarves as wall art from a special frame I got in Bali, as well as:
Silk roman shades http://tinyurl.com/kodwrd,
quilted coasters http://www.marthastewart.com/article/quilted-coaster-set,
a bird mobile http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/2008/05/16/bird-mobile/
book covers http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/pdfs/SweetGreetingsPortfolios.pdf,
and the usual of throws, runners, cushions, placemats, napkins, etc.
My next project will to use a beautiful black and white floral printed cotton from Japan as wallpaper - apply with spray starch stiffener.

My name is Lisa and I'm a textile addict. Let me know if you find a 12-step plan for using all your fabrics. I have an entire shelf full of fabrics. And a trunk. And a box in the back of the closet. And one under the bed...

I am also drawn to fabric in foreign countries and accumulate it in drawers. I am NOT a seamstress, but I am making a simple summer shift dress out of a piece of fabric I bought in Kenya last month (3 big seams). I have also successfully made dinner napkins (4 seams) out of mismatched foreign fabrics that look good together. My mom suggested I hang one as a curtain at the head of my bed, visually serving as a headboard. But it looked a little too bohemian for me. If you could upholster a headboard with one of your fabrics I bet it would be beautiful. Or a little upholstered stool or bench. Lightweight beach blankets or picnic blankets? Dish towels if the fabric is cotton (also 4 seams)? It is a tough collection to display!

I am a fabric fanatic too. I love the idea of framing it. Maybe diffrent sized frames.
Pillows?
a dress?
Hankies?
make a bag use the fabric as a lining.
Pu it on a coffee or sofa table and cover it with glass

In my loft, I put up a curtan rod on the wall. That way I could change my fabric displays. I sometimes used it for qults, sometimes for antique robes, kimono or a combination of smaller fabrics. Now I have a metal bed from the 20's, which I never see, because I drape the headboard! I like to change fabrics, so something adjustable is better for me.

Make a pieced wall hanging or quilt. Depending on your level of sewing skill/patience, you could either make strips or squares, or, if you are a more experienced sewer, you could make an amazing map, using fabric from each location in the place where it goes. Use plain blue for the seas and plain green for places you haven't been yet. Then, you can keep appliqueing in new fabrics as you continue to travel.

It would make an amazing thing to show to visitors.

Any and all textile addicts, feel free to donate your fabrics to me and I will put them to use. Seriously...wall upholstery, headboard, drape a 4-poster bed, pillows, duvet cover, throws, wall displays, table runners, table skirts, curtains. I will never tire of world textiles.

You could make a quilt organizing your fabrics by specific trip, country, or color.

I am a textile addict too. In particular textiles from India. I have a whole IKEA PAX unit filled with textiles. My most beautiful sari is hung from a decorative metal rod above my sofa in the living room, centered between my two living room windows.

The important thing is that I know each and every textile in my collection will eventually have its day. In fact, I bought a particular piece of orange sari fabric about 5 years ago and never used it. About two weeks ago I pulled it out and realized it was the perfect fabric to drape over the back of my sofa, replacing a different fabric that had been there for a couple of years. Now every time I come home I think how happy I am that I bought that piece of fabric, and how beautifully it enhances the colors in my living room rug.

Beautiful textiles are indeed art, and bring me such joy.

I've taken the liberty of asking our community of textile lovers the same question "What do you do with a collection of textiles?". Take a look (http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=9177&uid=97324000874).

I run a textile community called La La Llama (http://www.lalallama.com) where people share photos of their fabrics and I think you would enjoy it.

My mistake, I didn't make the links above actual links. Here they are:

Question posed to the La La Llama community: What do you do with a collection of textiles?

Our website: La La Llama

I'm an amateur textile collector, but only because I travelled a lot as a kid, not so much as a young adult.

Still, I brought home yards od Polynesian fabric from our honeymoon. I even bought the extra-cliché red and white fabric with huge hibiscus flower. I thought I'd never use that one, but I made a duvet cover for St Valentine. I didn't have enough yardage, so I bought sheets in white cotton, then sewed a large square in the center of the duvet cover, using the Polynesian fabric. My husband and I really love it, and it goes surprisingly well in our bedroom.

As for the other fabrics, I'm making a lot of kid's stuff for friends: bibs, tiny covers, quilt, garments... and I get a lot of "finally, something that's not only for my baby !".

Sarongs
Wrap Skirts

I've got tons of weavings and embroideries from South America and a closet full of antique kimonos.

I just hang the textiles on the wall, as-is, unframed. If they are lightweight or small I use clear push pins.

Heavier ones get a cheap, plain, black IKEA adjustable curtain rod. I tap two inconspicuous finishing nails into the wall and dab them with wall paint color and just place the rod on top.

For really pretty newer fabrics I buy the stretcher bars from the art supply store and just stretch the fabric as if it were a canvas. I use my staple gun to tack the fabric in place although I don't "stretch" it too much.

For kimonos I buy a wooden closet rod and spray paint it. Two tiny eye hooks get screwed into the ends and a long piece of clear fishing line tied into the eye hooks will make the kimono the star and not the hardware. Just make sure to put the kimono onto the rod before tying the last end of the fishing line.

I bought the most beautiful fabric in Costa Rica a few years ago. So far, I've covered and stuffed my headboard, framed a pieces, and made a jewelry board. For the jewelry board, I covered a cheap bulletin board with the fabric, inserted cup hooks in rows across, and hung all my pretty necklaces and such on the cup hooks, and hung the board on the wall. It's good for those pretty pieces that are too big for a regular jewelry box.

Don't know if the fabric you have goes together well or not, but one idea is to make a patchwork quilt using a variety from the selection you have. It will have symbolic meaning plus be a visual narrative.

I myself have lot of these sarees !!!!! I got married recently(I am from India) and had to buy lot of these for my marriage .. one for every ceremony ... i lost the count of these sarees and for that matter ceremonys as well !!!!!Even i am in need of such ideas

Lol last time I traveled in India I told all of the people I bought fabric from that I would make cushions. It was a total lie... but it was too embarrassing to explain that I just loved the fabrics and had no idea what I would do with them. We are going to use some for table runners in our wedding I think, and some really will get made into cushions... I wish I could use them for upholstery, but I have a lot of hand printed cottons and silks that I suspect are too delicate/non colorfast for long use. I still haven't figured anything really large-scale out, but it makes me happy just to look at them! Textlies make lovely wall hangings, but something with a bit of structure to it like a kimono or at least a quilt or heavily embroidered/appliqued cloth works better than just yards and yards of beautiful silk...!

i'm laughing too because i just came back from costa rica and the entire time i was on the hunt for textiles!

i framed a beautiful piece i found...

http://thesalerack.blogspot.com/2009/04/help-how-should-i-frame-my-textile.html

i even plan trips to locales that i know will have desired textiles...so you are not alone!

I too am a fabric whore... worked for a furniture manufacturer, then a high-end fabric / drapes / reupholstery shop, I have collected quite a few things...

there's 13 yds of soft white vinyl in my side room, my bf has been trying for years to convince me to re-cover an old sofa of his w/ it...

Sale Rack, I just clicked over to check out your Costa Rican score... gorgeous!! Are you going to post photos of the finished framing job?

me too! but i don't sew. i'm just a textile addict. my favorite is a burgandy and gold with elephants sari that my friend brought from india (on my request). it's a canopy over my bed, and i adore it. Pic here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/starjewel/3277408019/in/set-72157594206118839/

The sari over your desk *really* brightens up your office.

if you can stand cutting them, you can hang pieces in embroidery hoops of all different sizes, and put a flock of fabric bubbles on the wall. cheap, easy, pretty.

I'm looking for vintage couture scarves (Hermes, YSL, Ferragamo) to frame. Would you know where I can find any in the Bay area?