Many of us, me included, get into a pattern (I didn’t want to say “rut”) with our Christmas decorations. We tend to haul out the same, sometimes tired, decorations, stockings and other Christmas decor. I am suggesting that this year you change things up and use decorator fabrics to enhance your Christmas decor and boost your Christmas spirit!

The girls here have designed our own Christmas stockings using interior design fabrics and trims. The possiblities are endless with the many fabric and trim combinations! You can also make tree skirts, mantle cloths and decorative pillows to coordinate with your stockings. Here’s a picture of our stockings.

The pattern for our stockings came from, who else, but Martha Stewart. Use this template by enlarging it on a photo copier to the size you would like to make. All our stockings have contrasting cuffs, and the workroom used the attached cuff template to accomplish this.

Here’s another photo of a stocking that one of our staff designed and had made. She used some tiny collectable Christmas ornaments to give her stocking an Alice in Wonderland theme. This stocking is super creative and beautifully made. As you can see from these photos, make your stocking any size or shape that you desire. You are only limited by your imagination!

If you have heirloom stockings and you don’t want to retire them, you can still make or have others made to use in different places in your home. They can decorate a staircase or hang at the foot of a bed or on a door. Here’s an example from an idea book called Christmas with Southern Living.

Another great way to customize your Christmas decor is to make a matching tree skirt and mantle cloth. A mantle cloth is a great way to bring color to your mantle and give your stockings a pretty backdrop, especially if you are using those pewter or brass stocking holders that sit on top of your mantle. You don’t have to do much more decorating than that! In these pictures that follow, the tree skirt and mantle cloth are not a matching pair, but just examples of what they might look like. You can design them and trim them out any way you choose. They can match your current room’s decor or can be in traditional holiday colors.

Think about it. If you are not able to fabricate them yourself, we can help you design them and refer you to a good workroom. If not for this year, get started early for next year’s Christmas season. Make a design plan and get it in the works early and enjoy your custom made Christmas cheer next year!

As I was flipping through Martha Stewart Living, late in the summer, I happened across an informative article on upholstery and what lies beneath the decorative fabric on a sofa. I was thinking that this information would be great to pass along to my customers, but how? Well, now I can enlighten you with Martha’s information because I am blogging!

I have borrowed this information from an article called Layers of Comfort by Kathleen Hackett, found in the September 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living. Photographs by Johnny Miller.

With sturdy materials and hand-finished details, a well-crafted sofa can last 20 years, or longer with reupholstering. (1) A frame of kiln-dried maple serves as a solid base. (2) Jute webbing is woven along the back, seat, and arms. (3) Eight-way springs are hand-tied with twine. (4) Cotton batting and synthetic horsehair provide padding under burlap. (5) Down-filled caseing, glazed cotton, and muslin are layered on top. (6) Yellow linen finishes the sofa.

If you know your furniture piece is of good quality, sometimes it’s more economical to reupholster it than to replace it. “The bones of an item determine its value and longevity.” Hackett goes on to describe top-of-the-line frames (TOL) versus mass produced. “A TOL frame, generally custom made, uses 2 inch thick, kiln dried wood, such as poplar, oak, or maple, and is secured with dowels and glue. Mass produced pieces usually have thinner frames that are glued and stapled; lower quality versions are often made of plywood or pressed board.”

Now on to the padding. “Inside the frame, jute webbing lines the seat and back. Eight way springs, tied coil by coil to the webbing offer the most support and flexibility. One type of custom padding calls for horsehair and cotton batting that’s covered with burlap and down filled casing; foam and polyester batting is a less expensive option.”

Then we have the fun stuff: the cushions and the fabric. Hackett offers that the way to prolong the life of upholstery is to opt for removable cushions so that you can turn them over. I agree totally. To fill the cushions, down is the most luxurious, but not the most practical for every day use. Those cushions need fluffing after every sitting. “To minimize fussing without sacrificing comfort, try medium-density foam wrapped in feathers,…..for a springy bounce.” This is also what we would recommend and our furniture line offers a variety of options from “not too soft” to “not too hard.” Now the fabric choice is up to you, and that’s where we would love to help. Remember that silks used for upholstery usually have a backing on them to make them more durable and prevent stretching and tearing. We recommend silk only be used on a piece that is mostly decorative and not going to be used regularly. Most other medium weight fabrics from linen to chennille are appropriate for upholstery. With velvets and suedes you must make sure the nap of the fabric runs in the same direction. An experienced upholsterer will know how to accomplish this.

I was excited to read this article and thrilled to have an outlet to pass this information on to you. If you would like to see how Martha’s upholsterer updated the piece in the picture go to www.marthastewart.com/sofa-makeover.

Welcome to our new blog! My goal is to give you good information, pass along tips, tell you what we like, and refer you to other fun fabric and design blogs, magazine articles and websites. I hope to blog about trends and ideas and keep you interested in making your house a warm reflection of you and your family. Stay tuned!