Blueberry Jacobean II 35" x 43"
Today’s pattern isn’t a new design, but an alternate size of one already in existence. Sometimes, I have two sizes for a particular pattern for those that like to go big and one for others that like something a little more manageable.
This is a lovely floral design we called Blueberry Jacobean. It’s been hooked several times, once with blueberries in the blue with a soft blue/green palette and then a vibrant version, with colours that make the pattern sing. Both are exceptional rugs and I don’t know which one I would vote my favourite as they both bring so much to the table.
Jacobean designs are nothing new and I don’t think they’ve gone out of fashion since their beginning, reigning back to the time of King James I of England in the first quarter of the 17th century. Time tested and still true they are the quintessential décor for walls, windows and upholstery. Rich and classic they spell good taste in my decorator book. There’s something about these stylized florals and fruits, small animals and whimsical birds that scream luxury and exceptional taste.
I like to think of Jacobean designs as fun fantasy florals. Flowers that you can add a multitude of colour to from toned down and serene to wildly out there. They are interesting to see, finding something new and exciting every time you stare and marvel at their beauty. My introduction to renovating and decorating began at BB Bargoons and their incredible fabrics with big bold Jacobean prints. The store was like walking into a dream and I spent many an hour walking up and down the aisles, touching the fabrics and being embraced with fantastic colour from every direction. I still remember the chap who worked there. Shawn or Shone. He had incredible flair and put together combinations of materials without blinking. He was knowledgeable and helpful and made such an impression I’ve thought of him now and again wondering what glorious shop or interior design business he is in now.
That first time through the doors, my eyes nearly left their sockets. And when I found the perfect red based Jacobean fruit and floral fabric for my sofa, I almost experienced a tremor in my extremities. It was as if the designer got inside my head and wove it from my thoughts. For the life of me I can't remember the name but I'll have a look when I go home and post. I later saw it in a decorator magazine selling for ginormous bucks, making the most exquisite curtains I’ve ever seen. It was well over $150 bucks a yard in the big designer shops in Toronto and that was 25 years ago and a whole lot out of my price range. I think I paid $18.00 at B B Bargoons, what a princess of a deal. Why I didn’t buy every bit they had on the roll is beyond me. When you find something so perfect get it all because nothing lasts forever, but I guess I wasn’t looking that far ahead or thinking of wear and tear.
My beautiful sofa has long since given up the ghost, the material is faded in areas and worn thin in others with the stuffing showing through. The back is as vibrant as the day it was sewn into place, away from the sun and the dogs. Seven dogs claiming it for a bed over the years can leave their mark but I kept the sofa going because I didn’t want to give up my beloved fabric that perfectly matched my red walls, so I cover it with throws when company comes over so they wouldn’t see the shame of its condition and the dogs don’t seem to mind that it’s well-worn in.
So one evening I crossed my fingers and went searching for more of this fabric on the internet. I visited site after site without results until I found a company that had thousands of leftover bolts of discontinued fabric in their warehouse in the US. I sent a photo and my email and a reply came back the next day letting me know that they had 20 yards of it available, probably all that was left in the entire world and only for $15.00 a yard. OMG, I couldn’t believe my luck and I greedily ordered it all. I wasn’t even disappointed when it arrived and it wasn’t 100% like what I had left over from my sofa all those years ago. Over time a slightly different dye lot goes without saying, but there was a striping through the fabric that was stronger pronounced than in my original yardage. But who cared! Mixed and matched you’d need a magnifying glass to see the difference. No one would notice but me and I’d be smiling from my horse shoe luck.
So I tried to have the sofa reupholstered but my usual guy was taking a break and I left my number to phone when he was ready but he never got back to me, and not being a life or death situation I kept forgetting about it. At one point I tinkered with taking a course and doing it myself but there is never any time in my day for extras and of course there’s the dreaded sewing involved. I think perhaps I’ve found an alternative choice, someone said they would take on the project this summer. I can hardly wait!
This is a lovely floral design we called Blueberry Jacobean. It’s been hooked several times, once with blueberries in the blue with a soft blue/green palette and then a vibrant version, with colours that make the pattern sing. Both are exceptional rugs and I don’t know which one I would vote my favourite as they both bring so much to the table.
Jacobean designs are nothing new and I don’t think they’ve gone out of fashion since their beginning, reigning back to the time of King James I of England in the first quarter of the 17th century. Time tested and still true they are the quintessential décor for walls, windows and upholstery. Rich and classic they spell good taste in my decorator book. There’s something about these stylized florals and fruits, small animals and whimsical birds that scream luxury and exceptional taste.
I like to think of Jacobean designs as fun fantasy florals. Flowers that you can add a multitude of colour to from toned down and serene to wildly out there. They are interesting to see, finding something new and exciting every time you stare and marvel at their beauty. My introduction to renovating and decorating began at BB Bargoons and their incredible fabrics with big bold Jacobean prints. The store was like walking into a dream and I spent many an hour walking up and down the aisles, touching the fabrics and being embraced with fantastic colour from every direction. I still remember the chap who worked there. Shawn or Shone. He had incredible flair and put together combinations of materials without blinking. He was knowledgeable and helpful and made such an impression I’ve thought of him now and again wondering what glorious shop or interior design business he is in now.
That first time through the doors, my eyes nearly left their sockets. And when I found the perfect red based Jacobean fruit and floral fabric for my sofa, I almost experienced a tremor in my extremities. It was as if the designer got inside my head and wove it from my thoughts. For the life of me I can't remember the name but I'll have a look when I go home and post. I later saw it in a decorator magazine selling for ginormous bucks, making the most exquisite curtains I’ve ever seen. It was well over $150 bucks a yard in the big designer shops in Toronto and that was 25 years ago and a whole lot out of my price range. I think I paid $18.00 at B B Bargoons, what a princess of a deal. Why I didn’t buy every bit they had on the roll is beyond me. When you find something so perfect get it all because nothing lasts forever, but I guess I wasn’t looking that far ahead or thinking of wear and tear.
My beautiful sofa has long since given up the ghost, the material is faded in areas and worn thin in others with the stuffing showing through. The back is as vibrant as the day it was sewn into place, away from the sun and the dogs. Seven dogs claiming it for a bed over the years can leave their mark but I kept the sofa going because I didn’t want to give up my beloved fabric that perfectly matched my red walls, so I cover it with throws when company comes over so they wouldn’t see the shame of its condition and the dogs don’t seem to mind that it’s well-worn in.
So one evening I crossed my fingers and went searching for more of this fabric on the internet. I visited site after site without results until I found a company that had thousands of leftover bolts of discontinued fabric in their warehouse in the US. I sent a photo and my email and a reply came back the next day letting me know that they had 20 yards of it available, probably all that was left in the entire world and only for $15.00 a yard. OMG, I couldn’t believe my luck and I greedily ordered it all. I wasn’t even disappointed when it arrived and it wasn’t 100% like what I had left over from my sofa all those years ago. Over time a slightly different dye lot goes without saying, but there was a striping through the fabric that was stronger pronounced than in my original yardage. But who cared! Mixed and matched you’d need a magnifying glass to see the difference. No one would notice but me and I’d be smiling from my horse shoe luck.
So I tried to have the sofa reupholstered but my usual guy was taking a break and I left my number to phone when he was ready but he never got back to me, and not being a life or death situation I kept forgetting about it. At one point I tinkered with taking a course and doing it myself but there is never any time in my day for extras and of course there’s the dreaded sewing involved. I think perhaps I’ve found an alternative choice, someone said they would take on the project this summer. I can hardly wait!
 Hooked by Andre McClean |  Hooked By Susan Lea Manning |
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