design ramblings | mixing fabric patterns

by | Jun 6, 2015 | All Things Home, Decorating, Design Ramblings, Sewing, Tutorials | 19 comments

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Once Lucketts was over, Kriste and I turned our attention to the finishing details of my house.   We have a big shoot coming up and I really wanted all of the half-done and 3/4-done and almost-done projects to finally be DONE.  I’m really enjoying having my house as just my house (now that we have the studio) and it’s helped me settle down a bit.  I’m not changing things up or moving furniture around so much, so I’m now ready to look at a room and call it finished.  Seriously.  (Well, ask me that again in a year and we’ll see how I’m doing!)

So, a part of finishing has been sewing a bunch of pillows out of fabrics I picked especially for the rooms they are going in.  The pillows I’ve been using have been fine, but they weren’t intentional.  Now, they are intentional and I think that can make a big difference in a space.

When she was first cutting and pinning fabric, Kriste was unsure of my choices, but now she sees how everything came together and suggested we talk about mixing fabrics in a Design Ramblings.  So, we did…

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    19 Comments

    1. Ginger Marshall

      Hi Marian and Kriste, I like the sofa so much more than table! I have to say though that the camera angle still needs some work. As a viewer, it feels like I am standing in front of you rather than seated across from you. I have experience in the Television production area and I can tell you that if you were to lower the camera at least 6 inches or maybe more, it would feels so much more natural. Also don’t center your faces in the camera (up & down) but tilt the camera, as it were, so that your faces are at the 3/4 level, like you would for a portrait. Anyway, I love this Rambling,

      • marian

        Thanks, Ginger! I was really just trying to crop out my sweat pants, but I’m going to wear real pants from now on, so we can frame the picture better. 🙂

    2. Marie W.

      Since you talked so much about pillows in regard to your topic I wish you had address where you get your feather inserts, what you like about feather inserts, etc.

      • marian

        I’ve picked them up from a bunch of places… Ikea, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Tuesday Morning, Amazon, Pottery Barn, etc.

    3. Leah Prevost

      I flipping love you two

    4. Jennifer

      I just love the fabric you used for the bergere chair cushions! It goes so beautifully with the upholstery. Could you share the manufacturer/name of fabric? Not sure if I’d be able to get it here in Australia but I might find it somewhere online…

    5. Leslie Belcher

      Hi Marian,
      The fabric on the pillows pictured above is gorgeous and just what I am looking for to update my room. Please, please, please share the source! I checked the Salrite site and a few others, but no luck. I think you said in an earlier post that it is a linen with a faux crewel design.

    6. Beverly O

      Like Leslie, I’d love to be able to get some of the houndstooth-type fabric shown on one of the pillows to coordinate with a quilt I inherited. Could you please tell the manufacturer and the fabric name?

    7. Sherry Fram

      Love the chairs and pillows together! Love the design ramblings!

    8. Kerryann Wood

      Hi girls thank you so much for the series just love everything you do and especially Love your natural enthusiasm and ‘ real ness ‘ !

    9. darlene

      I sell upholstery fabric so I really LOVED this design rambling. Its interesting how much harder it seems to be for people to choose fabrics then choose items to decorate their homes with. I think you gave such a clear picture of how fabrics can be mixed based on scale and pattern. Love watching these design ramblings. I keep wanting to send questions of what I should do with this piece or this room or these shelves. I just finished using mmsmp on my laundry room shelves. Heading back to hemp and then wax on, wax off. Keep up the entertaining videos. Fun to watch.

    10. Heather Dobbins

      Very helpful. 🙂

    11. Emily

      NO cutting off pillow covers! Just make them envelope style covers in the first place, then you can take them off without ruining them, and keep them for another day.

    12. MaryLisa Noyes

      I love to experiment with color and pattern. Great ramblings ….

    13. Becky

      I LOVE the new set up with NO table! You two are to cute to hide behind one!

    14. anya

      This was a great design rambling! It was so helpful. Marian, would you consider doing a more advanced pillow tutorial? I know you said you were pressed for time when putting this one together, but I would love some more details about the piping and ruffles. They are particularly beautiful and would be a bit more advanced than the pillows I have made in the past. Thank you!

    15. Judy

      Hi Marian, I enjoy the design ramblings and there have been times when the topic was very timely for what I was doing! I recently purchased my first vintage cotton slip that I am turning into a pillow cover for a bolster pillow. I am wondering if you would consider discussing the best way to launder vintage textiles. I know that you would know the best ways to get that done! Thanks so much for all the inspiration!

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