Fly

jonna saarinen

Beautiful textiles and homeware from Jonna Saarinen.

minä perhonen AW 2012/13

Always inspired by the prints and stylings at Minä Perhonen.

Mini Art Quilts

Quilter Karen Anne Glick produces these beautifully abstract art quilts as a daily practice to express what's happening in her world and beyond.

Castle and Things

A brand after my own heart; artwork and textiles in delicious colors all from Castle.

From Things Like Diamonds

I want to wear simple tees and button-ups with quirky prints everyday. I can see these cute designs from Things Like Diamonds paired with slim jeans or perfectly tailored skinny pants (in a bold color of course) to make for a low-key outfit with a lot of character.

Black Orpheus Sketched

I watched Black Orpheus (aka Orfeu Negro in Portuguese) for the first time this weekend and have fallen in love with this film. I've heard so many great things about the classic, especially from my mother, but just never got around to watching it.

Finally, I made time to enjoy this beautiful movie which takes place in Rio de Janeiro circa 1959, with a plot loosely based on the mythological character, Orpheus. Brazilian carnival serves as a festive and colorful backdrop to the dramatic love story. It was a joy to see and hear the early samba moves and sounds; before every step, every costume, and song became a overly-sophisticated form art. It all seems more improvised and free back then.

Side note: we have a Brazilian family friend who dances samba horribly, her moves are CRAZY in a bad way. But she always thinks she is killing it on th dance floor. She's an older woman and after seeing this film, which was released during her coming of age years, I now get it; because that's exactly how they're dancing in Black Orpheus!

I digress.

Over the weekend I also decided to spend more time sketching. Something I used to do all the time but have somehow neglected this beloved habit. I'm determined to explore my creative interests more regularly, therefore, with the inspiration of this film I sat down to sketch what I saw. This is only a little taste, but thought it would be fun to share.

Have you seen the film?

Works by Njideka Akunyili

Completely blown away by the work of Njideka Akunyili.

Accents

I'm all about creating little vignettes in the home. I'm thinking little cozy corners with pops of color and pattern in accent pieces like these: Unfold Pendant Lamp // Tufted Gingko Rug // Acapulco Chair // Kite Kilim Floor Pouf // Print by Keith Mallett

Walter G Textiles

Admiring the beautiful textiles of Walter G, a brand named after the grandfathers of Australian duo Lauren and Genevieve.

Loving the the warm crimsons and magentas...

and cool indigo tones in the lookbook photos and in the latest collection.

Saako F/W 2012

Beautiful colors and styling in these photos for SAAKO.

Beautiful Wax Prints

Love the wax print designs on these pieces from Portuguese designer Rosa Pomar.

Bmore Weekends

Constantly exploring my new home; oysters in Fells Point, chilling at various harbor locations, and looking for vintage maps of the city to hang in my living room.

Chris Benz Resort 2013

I just saw Chris Benz's designs for Spring 2013, and everything is gorgeous — but I was equally impressed by the resort collection, chock full of beautiful prints.

Kantha Quilts and Throws

Beautiful kantha quilts and throws from Connected Fair Trade. These textiles are made from vintage saris stitched together for a patchworked look. I want them all.

 

Inspired by: Textiles & Surface Design

I've been thinking a lot about my interests and things I want to try and what constantly reappears is my fascination with textiles and surface design. The theme is clearly evident right here on Fly, on my mood-boards, and especially in my library of design books. I collect textiles and anything related to them. Then most recently I was offered the opportunity to teach a surface design course at my school and the excitement I felt convinced me that this is something I should really explore.

When I was at the Baltimore Farmer's Market & Bazaar over the weekend I was reminded of that desire to explore textiles/surface design when I was gushing over the market vendor called Made in Heaven. This particular brand sells imported vintage kantha quilts from India among many other beautiful goodies. I had been eyeing the vintage kantha quilt Anthropologie jackets and dresses by Vineet Bahl for a while but couldn't get over the price. So when I saw a similar collection at Made in Heaven for way less than a quarter of the cost I went bananas! I had to treat myself to a fab kantha quilt jacket and a beautiful throw for my new couch.

Why I'm so drawn to textiles and beautiful surface prints, I don't know — I'm in the process of figuring it out. Maybe it was my early years growing up in a sewing studio, or the idea of creating something textural, colorful and usable. Either way I'm definitely curious to learn more.

What about you? Have you discovered something new that you would like to try or learn more about?