January 21, 2011

in my humble fabric-hoarding opinion

A quilt in Marty Goes to Mars
Those who know and (I assume) love me know that my penchant for fabric, which has always been a vice, has in recent years developed into a full-blown instinct to hoard.  I blame the creativity of fabric designers.  I am certainly not an expert, but it seems to me that fabric design is experiencing some sort of wonderful renaissance.  I am especially drawn to what I would describe as "narrative fabrics", fabrics that tell a story or allow you to imagine one.  I am thinking of fabrics like my beloved "Marty Goes to Mars" by Suling Wang (really, do yourself a favor and click on that link). 

I have lately been moved to search for fabrics designed by my favorite artist illustrators and been disappointed to find that it has not been done, or not been done in a way that I can get it into my hotlittlehands.  So, Big Fabric Execs, please make the following available as soon as possible.

Edward Gorey is a no brainer.  Come on, people!  He himself designed strange little stuffies, one of which I actually owned as a child but of course has now gone missing (thank goodness I still have my damned Koosa, though).  Alexander Henry took a stab at the Gorey mystique with his Ghastlies this past fall.  It was a step in the right direction, but I am dying for the real deal.

Turn me into fabric, please!
My next suggestion is Charley Harper.  No, I am not a fan of Two and a Half Men, and if I was, I would be way more on Team Duckie.  A great friend of mine gave my son a Charley Harper floor puzzle, and we are hooked.  There is no Charley Harper fabric that I know of, but I was delighted to stumble upon an amazing quilt design by Angela of The Artists' House.  Unfortunately, I would not be able to applique her design if my life depended on it, but the quilt sure is pretty.

Lastly, a living artist whose work is screaming out to become fabric--Tao Nyeu, author illustrator of the picture book Wonder Bear.  Her artwork creates a whole other world, and it is a world where I would like to live. 

A girl can dream, right?