As a printmaker, I’ve always found it’s critical to use the right base cloth because the right choice makes all the difference to the finished product. There’s a place in this world for synthetic fabric, but it isn’t in my house or on my body. Synthetic fabric — acrylic and nylon — is excellent waterproof outdoor material, but please, leave it in the backyard.

Inside the home, industrial-strength hemp and heavy-weight linen reign supreme because they’re real. They age, are kind and forgiving and help us breathe easier.

When I began making furnishing fabric in 1995, I hung out my shingle at designEX 1995 in Sydney with a cornucopia of hand-printed fabric. I wasn’t sure which way to go, so I didn’t edit back — I showed the lot. Of all the fabrics I showed, it was the hemp that drew them in. The designers loved it — the texture, the luminosity, the weight and the feel of the fabric in their hands.

Back then, sustainability was beginning to make an impact. The industry was only starting to understand that we should be seeking out materials that used less water and no pesticides or fertiliser. That show helped me recognise hemp was the future. And I chose to hang the future of my business on it. I began a quiet education campaign, telling anyone who’d listen why they should be using natural fabric.

Some people got it and some didn’t. But over the years, I’ve seen a change. People come to me now, well versed in the benefits of hemp and linen. They want their non-allergenic properties, their strength and durability and the way they keep their shape. They know the insulation properties of hemp — it has a hollow core in the fibre, making it ideal for curtains and blinds — and they want their homes to be furnished in a way that’s responsible and sustainable.

The cotton industry stifled the hemp industry in the US years ago, but that changed last year. Nearly half the states in the US have enacted pro-industrial hemp legislation. It’s good to see moves afoot in Australia to increase hemp production. Government has caught up with the value of this clean crop: intensive farming, low impact, high yields. And hemp needs only half as much water and land as cotton to produce the same amount of crop.

Linen feels to me like hemp’s sophisticated cousin flax, which was one of the very first yarns to be made into garments and furnishings. The individual fibres coming from flax are really long, which is what makes it so durable. In Europe and Asia, there’s a long tradition of using linen, which is prized for its strength and lustre. It feels deliciously cool on the skin. I love the way it creases — it’s elegant and relaxed.

Because I’m a screen printer, these are the two fabrics I return to. Unbleached, unprocessed hemp is my preferred fabric. Many of the great painters of the world like Rembrandt and Vincent van Gogh painted on hemp canvases. These days, printing on this heavy-weight material and hanging it as a pair of curtains is the most affordable way of displaying contemporary art in the home.

See Julie’s work on
clothfabric.com

Written by Julie Peterson

Originally from Home Design magazine, Volume 18 Issue 3

The post An artist’s yarn: Material matters appeared first on Completehome.

1. WARWICK FABRICS

Chrysler in Zebra, Lagoon and Capitol in Zebra from Warwick Fabrics, 02 9518 8688, warwick.com.au. Bruhl Gothic three-seater sofa and Tolomeo Lettura floor lamp from Siekaup Furniture, 02 9906 5472, siekaup.com.au. Trio side table from Life Interiors, lifeinteriors.com.au. Granite rug from Ziga Rugs, zigarugs.com. Floral arrangement by naOmi & cO, 0402 186 802

2. VERVE

Tiles, Turquoise Chess wallpaper and Streetcar fabric from Verve Designer Collections, vervedc.com. Liquid Moon side table in amber transparent, Lotus vase, Large Liquid vase, Lava vase and Band vase from Dinosaur Designs. dinosaurdesigns.com.au

3. PACIFIC

Lelievre Fangio by Jean Paul Gaultier in Petrole from South Pacific Fabrics, southpacificfabrics.com. Ghillie Skull black Chair by designer David Caon for Anomaly, anomaly.com.au

4. PARSONS

Maze in black, wasabi and turquoise (on chair) and Pebble in black from Charles Parsons, charlesparsonsinteriors.com.au. Chair by Lugano, lugano.com.au. Mineral rug from Designer Rugs, designerrugs.com.au

5. SIX HANDS

Bonfire White Domino fabric, Zulu Spece Efuru fabric, Bon Bon Pepper cushion (top drawer), Chevy Chase Pepper cushion (bottom drawer), Congo Tangerine cushion (top of pile of cushions) and Safari Jet Rug by Sixhands, from Radford Furnishings, 1300 692 393, radfordfurnishings.com. Iron Industrial Design four-drawer chest from Stone Pony, 02 9566 1046, stonepony.com.au. Stol black-finish chair from Thonet, 02 9332 1600, thonet.com.au. Alamo, Alcatraz, Diablo and Napa cushions from Verve Designer Collections, vervedc.com

6. SENECA

Soleil Bleu by Darius and Sortilege by Elitis linen fabrics from Seneca Textiles, 03 9529 2788, senecatextiles.com. Carver chair and iron side table from Judy Porter Interior Design, judyporter.com.au

7. TIGGER

Eqipo fabrics from Tigger Hall Design, 03 9510 2255, tiggerhall.com. Antique wooden Indian elephant from Stone Pony, 02 9566 1046, stonepony.com.au. Stylist’s own rug.

8. PACIFIC

Pardes fabric in Primavera by Rubelli from South Pacific Fabrics, southpacificfabrics.com. Laurent chair by Christopher Guy from Laura Kincade, 02 9667 4415, laurakincade.com. Ingrid rug from Life Interiors, lifeinteriors.com.au

9. BOYAC

Shore Thing in grey, South Sea in yellow, and Twisted Chain in yellow and grey from Thibaut Resort Collection, from Boyac, 03 9429 5455, boyac.com.au. Ballet side table by Christopher Guy from Laura Kincade, 02 9667 4415, laurakincade.com. Vena Cava rug from Designer Rugs, designerrugs.com.au

10. MOKUM

Metropolis Imperial Pheasant in lacquer fabric and assorted cushions by Catherine Martin for Mokum, mokumtextiles.com. Lamp from Judy Porter Interior Design, judyporter.com.au. Medici console by Christopher Guy from Laura Kincade, 02 9667 4415, laurakincade.com. Granite rug from Ziga Rugs, zigarugs.com

11. SEKERS

Explorer fabric in jade from Sekers, sekers.co.nz. Silver jug from One World, oneworldcollection.com.au. Iron console table from Stone Pony, 02 9566 1046, stonepony.com.au. Vintage Moroccan birdcage, Stylist’s own

12. SEKERS

Venicia Antique fabric from Sekers, sekers.co.nz. Iron console table from Stone Pony, 02 9566 1046, stonepony.com.au. Vases from naOmi & cO, 0402 186 802

Written by Kate St James, FDIA
Photography by Chris Walsh
Head stylist Sabrina Treliving
Floral and on set stylist naOmi & cO

Originally from Home Design magazine Volume 17 Issue 2

The post Fabric Frenzy appeared first on Completehome.