Fly

Castle and Things

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

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.

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?

Love is Mighty: Shoes

These little darlings from Love is Mighty are made from vintage hand embroidered textiles, which also means each pair is one of a kind. Love!

Pattern Mixing...

...from Miu Miu Fall 2012. The patterns are divine and the colors are glorious.

{me}longings

I'm on the lookout for new pillows for my couch. I recently came across these eco-friendly hand-printed ones from {me}longings. I especially like the pillows with metallic prints.

Harvest Textiles

Lately I've been feeling like I need to get my hands inked up and dirty — I've been wanting to make things. So I've been inspired by those who do, especially bright and colorful things. Like these textiles from Harvest Textiles.

Natsu Collection

Gorgeous scarves from A Peace Treaty's latest collection.

Journeys by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson

A few weeks ago I was in Cincinnati at my family reunion and we all went to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center as a fun family outing. I'd heard great things about the museum so I was curious to check it out.

As soon as I walked into the museum and up the main entrance stairs I saw this piece, called Journeys I and II, by artist Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. It's what she calls a raggonon, a textile that goes on and on. She worked on it for 35 years, and it documents moments in history: personally, communally and globally.

I was blown away by the scale, the use of various techniques and materials, as well as the amazing details. This piece left me breathless.

nani IRO Textiles

Gorgeous textiles from nani IRO.

Textural Inspiration from Angela Brandys

I'm adding these images to my digital inspiration folder for textures. I love the color combos and how there's so much going on in the styling. Photos from Angela Brandys' lookbook.