Celebrate Independence Your Way {Très Americaine!}

yes, you can make this double-layered American Flag Quilt yourself!

I have been (irrationally) in love with Alabama Chanin for years (irrational because the clothing is un peu trop ingenue for moi, and I'm not a needle and thread type!). Natalie Chanin originally hooked me with her one-off chandeliers crafted from found wood, wire, feathers, stones, bones; and her charming chair seat covers, tablecloths, for the elegant, rustic handmade touch for the home. Uniquely designed and handmade at her atelier in Florence, Alabama from natural cottons, linens, dyes and materials, her things are definitely in the "you won't see this anywhere else" category!

I'm thinking these DIY flowers could be perfect for the

fall farm dinner I am designing

fabric you ink yourself then make into a little summer dress!

(pickles not included!)

Now she has created a series of DIY projects of the most unique, touchingly hand made, sweet and rustic-chic kind. I'm not one for mail-order kits, but these are quite another story!

Celebrate your independence from buying readymade, and get over to Alabama Chanin DIY for these fabulous sewing, stenciling and beading projects...many are perfect for the home, some are great for simple skirts and scarves, and all will help you spend some old fashioned productive time as the summer days lengthen long into evening. You won't have to do these by candlelight!

Then brag to us here...or put your creations on etsy! I can guarantee a visit to Alabama Chanin will leave you inspired, and maybe even inspire a daughter or son to put down the iPad/iPhone/iPod for a few precious minutes and take that first handmade stitch towards creating something with their own two hands! La route d'independence!

medallion boudoir pillow with backstitch reverse applique

spiral applique and beaded camisole dress

bandana kit comes painted, stenciled and ready to sew;

do you know someone going through chemo who might adore this?

sampler quilt comes stenciled and ready to sew

I love this rooster and rose tablecloth...would someone just make

that one for me, please?

***

Alabama Chanin

BOOKS

just above are some fabulous books you can find at

Alabama Chanin's online store, or Amazon

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Tony Duquette Designs Evoke the Spirit of the Season...

Sacerdotal and ecclesiastical (fellow Catholics, you know this stuff!) icons abound in Tony Duquette's timeless designs from the mid-twentieth century that inspire and thrill today....especially now as we approach the Winter Solstice when darkness falls so early in the day, and the world celebrates fire, starlight and snowflakes.

Think of ancient Druids' Yule, of autumnal Dawali, the Hindi Festival of Lights, of Christmas stars and lights, of Hannukah with the burning candles, Kwanzaa with the lighting of the kinara candle, and Sadeh, the Iranian festivity to honor fire and defeat the forces of darkness, frost, and cold.

You get the idea. Anything that reminds of us of warmer, sunnier, longer days immediately captivates us at this season!

The Jewel Votive Table Lamp

The Paris Snowflake Screen

The Sunburst Torchiere

The Terrapin Lamp

The Elsie Tabouret

Named for His Mentor, Elsie deWolfe

(It's just so Christmas-y I had to include it here)

The Abalone Chandelier

The Large Sunburst Mirror

The Original Starburst Sculpture

The Gold-Leafed Sun Sculpture

.................

Tony Duquette's Office

A Duquette Room Features the Paris Snowflake Screen

A Duquette Salon with the Abalone Chandelier

....................

"Considered by many as an American design icon,

Tony Duquette left behind an artistic legacy

that inspired fantasy and stirs the imagination."

....................

To learn more about the man who "was always trying

to enchant the world...a self-styled do-it-yourself di Medici

whose razzle-dazzle decor, costumes, jewelry

and interiors took center stage in Hollywood's heyday"

see Tony Duquette , a book by House & Garden

design director Wendy Goodman and

Duquette successor Hutton Wilkinson

reviewed here.

***

Sources for Tony Duquette Items:

vintage Tony Duquette: 1stDibs

carefully crafted reproductions: Baker Furniture

***

.............................................................

CONTACT:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design