Tag Archives: silk

DIY Project: Silk Scarf Mounted on Canvas

The post about framed scarves — which featured framed Hermes scarves and less pricey but also beautiful scarves — is one of the most popular posts on this site.

The images found while assembling that post inspired me to frame a silk Talbot’s scarf that was originally purchased to hang on our living room wall. The scarf’s theme — exotic travel — adds to our living room things which are from India, Burma, Laos, Thailand, China and Italy. And High Point, North Carolina.  :)

After wearing the scarf for a few years, it was time for it to claim the space where it was meant to be. Here’s how I framed the scarf …

Materials:

  • silk scarf 36″ x 36″
  • 36″ x 36″ x 1″ canvas
  • Matte antique gold color spray paint
  • Silk pins from sewing notions
  • Nail already in wall from a previous hanging

Here’s the scarf as it’s looked for a few years:

Here’s how it will look on the canvas (next step, ironing!):

Here’s one of my ever-present arts n’ crafts assistants demonstrating how big the canvas is:

Next, I sprayed gold paint only where canvas will be visible, plus the edges. It’s not necessary to paint the entire canvas so the paint can be used for another project. I had to apply several layers of spray paint for even coverage:

Then another easy step. After the paint dried, I pinned the scarf to the canvas along the edges:

It was as easy as that.

One small snafu. I thought the scarf was smaller than the 36″ x 36″ canvas, but when the creases were ironed out, the scarf became the exact same size as the canvas. You could choose a bigger canvas so there’s a “frame” of gold around the scarf. But this way you can still see the gold canvas edges.

The canvas is not the best quality. It’s slightly warped and it doesn’t have a smooth even surface, but you can’t see this once the scarf is pinned to the canvas. If you used a finer linen canvas, you could sew the scarf edges onto the canvas instead of pinning them. I suppose rather than a “framed scarf,” this is more of a “mounted scarf.” I chose this option because I like the casual appearance of unframed canvas.

Some more images. This is a scrapbook I made that is an imaginery diary that Amelia Earhart would have kept if she really did land on a Pacific island and survive there for awhile:

Below is a prayer bowl from Sikkim, brass weights from an antique shop in Tuscany (San Gimignano or Volterra? I forget now) and travel journals from a place much closer — the Barnes & Noble within walking distance of our house! I keep a written journal of memories of every trip we take:

I like all the colors and patterns, but you need to be closer to this vignette to appreciate them:

I’ve stored turquoise necklaces in the bowl:

My cats are really well-behaved. With stuff on this table, they don’t jump on it at all. There’s another table just like this one in front of a big window that I keep clear of things to give them lots of room to sit in the window, a favorite spot of theirs. This corner with this scarf is now one of my favorite spots in the house.

See this project and more DIY ideas at:

CraftOManiac | DIY Showoff | I {Heart} Nap TimeJust A Girl Show and Share Day | Making the World Cuter | Market Yourself Monday | Passionately Artistic | Weekend Warrior

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Shiny Iridescence

For some reason, I’m looking at metallics, shiny things, iridescent things. Loving these things lately …

This John Robshaw pillow:

This peacock feather pillow at Modern Chic Home:

This sari. Varanasi/Benares saris are my favorite. Such as this design at sarishop.com:

This design above looks just like the blouse section of Benares sari fabric I got at Nalli in Chennai on my first trip there 10 years ago. I showed up prepared. I researched books about saris, and I had color photocopies of what I liked best. So I show the pictures to the staff at Nalli. It was an adjustment to not be able to look through all the saris myself. And what came out on the counter looked absolutely nothing like the photo. I was completely befuddled about how to get from Point A to Point B! What do I say next! My sister-in-law was with us and tried to communicate what we were looking for. But we weren’t making much progress. So we left the counters, and we wandered around for awhile because I was getting uncomfortable having them spread out so many saris that I wouldn’t want to buy. And then, I saw it! It was in the arms of a Nalli salesperson, headed toward the cash registers. For someone else! Oh no!! I asked him, do you have any more, exactly like that? (heart pounding) Oh yes, he said, right over here. And he walked not far, to the cabinets under the Benares sign. I had found my home. And he did offer me another sari exactly like that one. It is now the canopy for the bed in our guest room. Because I want to be able to see it all the time — why keep it folded in a closet.

Check out the shine and color on this Benares sari from sarishop.com:

And spread out around our guest room floor tonight are sequined textiles, with the colors in the sari above. Sequins?!? I don’t know what’s come over me. I’ve never bought anything sequined in my life. But a few weeks ago I was in the Baltimore area, and I had a rental car, and I had a map to an independent shop, A Fabric Place, along a beautiful drive of stone buildings and winding roads. I frequently stop at independent fabric stores when I travel for work or vacation. I always remember where the pieces I get came from, and they are special. These sequined pieces from India are especially special, plus they coordinate perfectly with a bicolor silk dupionni from India that I got at Exquisite Fabrics in Georgetown when I was in DC a few months ago. So something super special is going to be made with these three textiles for the Chennai flat’s guest room … finalizing the plans right now …

Linen & Silk

So much work by nature and man goes into making things we can easily take for granted, like textiles.

A beautiful short film showing how linen textiles are made, beginning with flax in Normandy:

A short movie showing how silk can be made while allowing the silkworms to live:

Foyer Furnishings

Today’s vision:

Inside the main door of our Chennai apartment, there’s a 10′ x 11′ space before entering the main living area. We’ll install a tall bookcase with library ladder here (as posted about previously) because the ceilings are 10′.

Something like this French Dressing bookcase with ladder:

No ladder, but like this style from Jayson Home & Garden:

Then against the opposite wall, a settee. Something with faded color like this antique settee from Jayson:

The settee’s side view will be visible from the living area, so it should be attractive:

Or something with less color, but so cute and with quality details, like this from Jayson:

Thus far this is the French part of our India pied a terre, but where’s the Chennai? Where’s India? It would be in a pillow and draped shawl or throw, like these below. A kantha pillow from Jayson:

And this silk shawl at Etsy, found among a mother-in-law’s wedding gifts in Kerala: 

Definitely, shopping for saris will be on our Chennai agenda this spring. Kantha looks like it takes much time and patience to do, but I can do a pillow size project.

A side table is always needed. I like using old chests and trunks. The coffee table in our Chicago living room is an old Chinese trunk. Pieces that have been places and seen things, and overheard conversations that they will keep secret. Like this antique wallpapered chest at Jayson:

You can get an inexpensive old chest, apply wallpaper and then rough it up and peel it to make it look old like this.

To contrast the rusticness, I’d set something jewel-like on the chest, like these boxes from Atlantis Dry Goods:

And a rug, one that I wouldn’t mind messing up as it’s inside the main door. Like the over-dyed rug trend — old rugs destined to be rejects if they weren’t refashioned – something like this one from ABC Carpet & Home:

Above the settee/chair and chest, I’d hang a big abstract painting. I’d take a risk with something bold that doesn’t even try to match. It must be bright and cheerful, like these from Amanda Collis on etsy:

Although the above paintings are smaller. We need something big for a big space. For an effect similar to this shown at A Perfect Gray blog:

Of course we must be able to hang things near an entry/exit doorway. These cool elephants shown at Honey & Fitz etsy shop could do the job:

For light, I’d hang Moroccan lamps like these from TAZIDesigns.

This reflects how the global style (in my mind) is shaping up for this place.