Fabulous fabrics

I did some fabric shopping last week in Amsterdam.  After I had finished the yellow curtains for the Dining room  (which may now not be a Dining room after all, but more on that another time...), I thought it would be nice to use the same fabric in a different colour for the connecting Salon. 

The fabric I used is by Den Haan & Wagenmakers, a Dutch company specialising in reproduction 17th and 18th century Dutch chintzes.  The fabric I used is from the 'Ton sur ton' series, and has many colours to choose from.  For the Salon I picked a beautiful blue fabric (photo two).

I also visited one of my favourite silk shops, McLennan's Pure Silk where I bought gorgeous silk fabrics.



Green silk changeant (or shot silk) and the most luscious raspberry silk velvet.  The colours are a perfect combination with a soft green rose fabric and wallpaper I had earmarked for a bedroom. 
Earlier this year I had commissioned this painting (and the one in the photo below) from Leslie Smith.  The original is by Christiaen van Pol.  They were intended to go into the Salon, but the paintings look very nice with the bedroom fabrics as well!  



 The colours in this photo did not come out so well, as in reality they are coordinating much better.  I want to use the soft blue silk for upholstery (even though I don't have any of the furniture yet), and maybe even do some embroidery on it.  The silk velvet has the most beautiful colour called sea mist.   The photo really doesn't do these beautiful colours justice.



These last fabrics are also intended for a bedroom.  I bought a few yards of cotton with a typical 18th century feel, like this one with the wavy yellow pattern.  The yellow and white fabric are very thin silks, which will be perfect for lining curtains. 

Comments

  1. Hoi Josje
    vind de stoffen erg mooi en de kleuren ook,de schilderijen zijn prachtig.
    groetjes adrie

    ReplyDelete
  2. These are really wonderful fabrics and they are in good hands!!! But I'm also totally in love with the beautiful painting you have bought from Leslie Smith.The motif is one of the paintings I have stored for ideas to make flower bouquets.Jeannette

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Josje
    The fabrics are beautiful. I really like the blues tones, and the wallpaper - Susan Bembridge?
    I love this stage of designing the rooms and it's always good to see a fellow miniaturist who changes the room allocation like me!
    Best wishes
    Simon

    ReplyDelete
  4. Prachtige stoffen en kleuren.
    Mooi behang en dat schilderij is ook super. Het krijgt echt weer zo een chique rijke uitstraling, geweldig!
    Liefs
    Maria

    ReplyDelete
  5. Those fabrics are gorgeous! I love the textures and colors you chose. Embroidery, I'm excited! I look forward to seeing what you stitch. Embroidery is another passion of mine.
    The paintings are amazing!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love your minis...omg! Beautiful. I'm your newest follower..I'd love to have you come and follow me when you get a chance. Thanks.. xoso Sandy

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gorgeous fabric and exquisite paintings.....I am holding my breath for more....!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dat is even mooi, wat je bij elkaar verzameld heb aan stoffen en kleuren.
    Het schilderij met de blauwe bloemen is heel subtiel bij de blauwe stoffen die je hebt gekozen.
    Wat zijn de schilderijen trouwens schitterend geschilderd.
    Ik vind het een leuk tijdperk (het neoclassicisme) dat je hebt gekozen.
    Mooi hoor.
    Ik moet gelijk denken aan die mooie Louis XVI'e
    kast van meneer Boom.
    Als ik in jou sloffies zou staan, zou ik daar heeel hebberig van worden.

    Groetjes, Alexandra.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ok, you never stop amazing me. I love your blog and your work for this reason: it's an endless source of wonder and beauty.
    Good evening, Rosanna

    ReplyDelete
  10. OH SO Delicious! I Adore fabrics! And you have chosen such Gorgeous colors and textures and patterns! I LOVE the green.... just the NAME is Divine!... and the Purple too! I Can't wait to see what your furniture and rooms will look like! As for the mini paintings.... are they hand painted???? Or are they reproduced from copying? They are SO lovely and will look Wonderful in your rooms!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hoi Adrie, ik dacht van de week nog aan je. Alles goed?

    Jeannette, yes I can imagine these are wonderful paintings for inspiration. A bouquet like that would look quite nice in my room :)

    Simon, I must say I laughed when I had the idea of changing the room allocation. But it is like you said (or I think it was you) I can sit and stare for quite a long time and then suddenly I get an idea. Also I saw another 18th century floor plan which got me thinking...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Catherine, you like to embroider? Show us pleeeeeease!!

    Hi Sandy, thank you for following. I'll come and visit your blog!

    Thank you Linda, I don't know when I'll get to use them in my rooms as most of them still have to be built. So until then...breathe in, breathe out ;)

    Alexandra, prachtige schilderijen hè? Leslie kan heel gedetailleerd schilderen, ik ben er erg blij mee.
    Ja dat kastje van dhr. Boom...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Rosanna thank you, that is such a sweet thing to say!

    Daydreamer, I love fabrics as well. These two silk velvets I just could not resist. From the Sea Mist colour I have bought enough to make a long shawl, with a similar coloured satin silk for the inside.
    Yes, the two paintings are hand painted in oils by Leslie. Beautiful aren't they?

    ReplyDelete
  14. PS Simon: Yes the wallpaper is Susan Bembridge, with a twist ;) I painted it to match the colours of the fabrics!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh how lovely fabricks! Purble and turquoise are best. Thank you very much for cearing these pictures. Kisses Kati

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hello Josje!
    I am so envious.......those fabrics are gorgeous and Leslie Smiths paintings amazing.
    Beautiful silks and small prints are tough to find.
    Can't wait to see what you do with them.
    Warm wishes from Ray

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hello Josje,

    Just catching up with you, the fabric and Leslie's painting are beyond perfection. I love what you do. How lucky to have such fine fabric shops near you. I would have to travel 1600 miles to get to that fine a store! Ridiculous. This is when I miss living in New York, where it was all around.
    Best wishes, Cookie

    ReplyDelete
  18. Josje , now you have done it. I wasn't even aware of the existence of the silk shop.So guess where I may be going tomorrow or next Friday... That is YOUR fault, gal!!!
    After my finishing that big rug I absolutely need to do some doll dressing!
    Besides, I have to spy out the shop, as Elga from SA, who will be visting here during the weekend of the Rheda fair, wants to shop there too :-)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Josje,

    As usual you have chosen colours that elegantly work together. The paintings are divine, Leslie must be very skilled as to paint such tiny strokes with accuracy is very difficult.

    I can't wait to see them working in your house.

    Fi x

    ReplyDelete
  20. Those paintings are extraordinary! What talent! Your taste in fabrics is exquisite! It's always such a pleasure to visit your blog. When I first discovered you, I read your blog from beginning to end. You have such a wonderful knack, Josje, for creating captivating scenes.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Ray, whenever I see small prints I like I have to buy them, it is compulsory ;) But I do like to use larger patterns as well. The pattern on my yellow curtains (and the blue ones which I have yet to make) is quite big, but I think it works. The silks I bought are a bit of an indulgence as they are rather expensive. Good thing one foot of fabric lasts a long time.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Cookie, 1600 miles is a bit out of the way ;) It is difficult to get good fabrics. Even at specialized stores like the ones I just visited only a handfull of fabrics are suitable for miniature use. I do sometimes order fabrics online, but I do get disappointed with some of the fabrics.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Elly, what?? You didn't know? And Amsterdam is such a village...
    The shop is in the area of 'de zeven straatjes' which has some nice shops I think. The silks here are not cheap, but as we don't need much... At the Albert Cuyp there is another silk store which is cheaper, called the Silk Route I believe. It's on the side of the KnipHal and the Boerenbonthal. And Capsicum (Oude Hoogstraat, behind the Dam) has nice silks as well.
    Have fun today or next week! (I have emailed Elga these addresses!)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Fiona, yes I love how fine Leslie paints the flowers. He's really good!

    Thank you Lucille! You have got quite a lot of patience to read all of my blog ;)

    ReplyDelete
  26. framework for looking at this with my daughter bloggerlara saw "my mother so fill it with white color framework," he said.
    Alica paint project I worked dore bi ll be so
    Thank you for sharing .. Very nice

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi Josje! Your silks are truly scrumptious! Very inspirational, as I am getting to the point where I need to venture forth and pick up some fabrics for Merriman Park. Alas, we don't have gorgeous little fabric shops here but in true American fashion we do have "Fabric Outlet,' which is an airplane hangar-sized warehouse stuffed to the ceiling with all manner of (mostly hideous) patterns. Everything's dirt-cheap and if you dig, you can usually come out with a few usable pieces but such a headache!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Josje, thank you for your comment and the information about paintin on MDF. Actually the MDF I used is 10 mm thick but it warped all the same. I kept it under a weigth for nearly 1 month but it was useless. It as quite a pain to straight it.
    I am going to cover it with plaster before painting: do you think that problems may occur ? thank you very much, Rosanna

    ReplyDelete
  29. Whoa, those velvet pieces are stunning! :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. What wonderfull fabrics! You have chosen such good colors and materials! I love how the leaf like pattern in the last one matches so well with the plate and sconce! And yellow is such an underestimated beautifull color. I also can't resist a beautifull fabric and indeed a little goes a long way in miniature life. I think I have gathered pieces beyond count, but when I see your beautifull fabrics I can only think... more fabrics! Yay! *grabby hands*

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi Josje, I love these colours and beautiful silks, you have exquisite taste! those paintings are quite sensational too!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Josje ... you are a master at scale, decor, design and photographic set-ups, and I am truly envious of those wonderful fabrics you've chosen, especially the silk velvets. I have a carefully guarded hoard of fabrics and laces myself, but never tire of searching out the new and beautiful. However, John is right about the US being a wasteland of ordinary and hideous fabrics, so online is the only other option, and how unsatisfactory that is, not to be able to touch and feel the weight and hand of a fabric ... how I wish to be rummaging through the little shops and venues of Europe featuring antique textiles. Oh well ... must work with what I've got, so will have to be satisfied until I get back over. I'll be waiting to see what you accomplish with your lovely new finds! The paintings are exquisite as well!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment