Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Finding the Right Fabric: Not There Yet


I recently renovated my kitchen. This involved a bunch of steps, some of which I've blogged about already. I painted the ceiling and window and door trim, painted the walls, painted the cupboards, replaced the cupboard hardware, replaced the ceiling light/fan, installed new curtain rods, and got my countertops replaced. I wanted to make the kitchen, which is small, really vibrant and fun. I therefore painted it a bright green color called Tart Apple. I got black, white and grey solid surface acrylic countertops. The new light/fan is a funky retro design. The new artwork I created (from rice paper purchased in Toronto's Chinatown and wooden frames that Ginny and I painted grey) adds a graphic punch without being too loud.





So all of that is great. Here's the rub: I can't find fabric to match my vision for curtains. I'm imagining something that's mostly black and white, in a mod/sunburst-inspired pattern like the fabric above, with maybe a splash of green and a bit of grey. I have searched and searched, online and in person, in the U.S. and Canada, and have yet to find fabric that corresponds with what's in my head. I have confidence that I'll get there, and until then my plain white sheers will have to do, but I'm kind of surprised at how hard it is to find what I'm looking for. If all else fails, I think I'll make my husband really happy by making curtains out of this fabric:

6 comments:

Terra, Bea's mom said...

what about something like

http://www.target.com/Xhilaration-Bedding-Collection-Black-Scroll/dp/B000UBWHJQ/qid=1200447361/ref=br_1_2/601-3048928-2352940?ie=UTF8&node=14125281&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1

http://www.target.com/Zeus-Comforter-Set/dp/B000JIJ8GU/qid=1200447361/ref=br_1_1/601-3048928-2352940?ie=UTF8&node=14125281&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1

Terra, Bea's mom said...

hi rachel,
those fabrics don't fit the bill now that i've read more closely. but anyway...
have you seen
http://craftsanity.com/index.html

?

Rachel said...

Hey Terra,
You're not too far off with those fabrics, actually- if I can't find what I'm looking for, I think I'll use something from my stash of vintage fabrics. They look something like what you've found. See my post here for a photo: http://craftbuff.blogspot.com/2007/07/hitting-crafting-mother-lode.html

Craftsanity is cool! I also love Soule Mama, which I think you've linked to as well.

didi_international said...

Oh wow, I love the frames...the black and white pics look so cute.
You should try that Marimekko place on Elmwood for ideas check out the main web site: http://www.marimekko.com/eng

Good luck :)

Rima said...

Would you like fabric from good old Bangalore??

I know you think that it is a good idea. Actually, you are now really giving it a good thought....

Rachel said...

Hey Rima,
Ooh, fabric from Bangalore! You know, even if it's not kitchen curtain fabric (my current obsession, of course), I would love some sort of fabric from Bangalore to use for a heretofore unidentified project... and to feature on my blog. :) Now we both can be distracted from our dissertations-- you by finding fabric and me by figuring out what to make with it!