The lobby of our building in Brooklyn occasionally serves as a sort of free bin, with stacks of old records and pieces of furniture (what's up with all the alarm clocks, guys?) piled in the corner. As we were leaving yesterday, we couldn't help but notice an overstuffed Patricia Field bag filled with... the kind of fabrics one would expect to be spilling out of a Patricia Field bag.
Sorting through the glitter and neon polka dot lycra and pleather, we discovered some fantastic versions of African prints, and started to wonder what we could turn them into...
Coincidentally, we had just finished reading Style Court's post on African patterns, and immediately brought them home.
Images via the David Hicks Archive
Images via Lobel Modern
Decorators have always had a penchant for incorporating what they considered exotic; in the 70s and 80s, star designers like David Hicks and Karl Springer often commissioned their own versions of bold fabrics inspired by travel abroad. Indian and African themes worked their way into the work via pieces sourced over seas and textiles they designed themselves.
Images via Style Court
In her Style Court post, Courtney references decorator Michael S. Smith's frequent use of subdued African fabrics, as well as Macy's "Shop For A Better World" program, which highlights gorgeous textiles made by Rwandan women. Also noted is "Design Without End", a show on African textile design currently on view at the Met.
Images via Macy's
While our free prints lack in quality, they're definitely not subtle, which could be a good thing if placed appropriately. If you sew (or even if you don't), would you put these to use? How so? (Points subtracted for any "burn them" comments, if only for being predictable.)
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Comments (8)
Oooh, I'd love to make a quilt from these!
yes a quilt would be wonderful. I had one made of slivers of different fabrics I got while I was in Ghana - it's one of my most cherished objects!
I would have lots of uses for these. recover an ottaman. As pillows. As a throw. Table cloth with napkins. Table runner. Framed and as wall art or the basis for a bulletin board. Make a patchwork for an accent wall. As a skirt or as a headwrap.
sew them onto the bottom of complimenting solid colored curtains, as accent banding. cover shoeboxes with them for colorful storage. sew a sweet traveling case for your laptop.
do yu guys know some online resources for african fabrics?
American Apparel did a whole line recently with African prints. That, however, seemed exploitative and pretentious. Gorgeous prints made by actual Africans who get to share in the profits fairly, well that's just fabulous.
You could stretch them over different sized canvas stretcher strips and an create eye-popping wall art assemblage - the answer to all those "what do I do with a big wall" posts.
They could make a GREAT shower curtain. If there isn't enough fabric for that, you could sew strips of whatever you've got together.
An upholstered headboard.
Or just roll or fold them up and put them in a basket on display until the right inspiration strikes.
I love the reversible blue and white. It would be just right for my chaise. Anyone know where I can find upholstery weight African fabrics? Mudcloths while heavy tend to fade as they done with vegetable dye.