I know you are probably wondering what is happening with Andrea and David’s 1950’s ranch house renovation. Well, not so much at the moment. Unfortunately, David has had some back issues arise and Andrea broke her wrist, so the last month has been pretty uneventful at their house for working on projects. I think they are going to hire out the painting of the den and other areas to keep progress going, so that will be fun to watch.
I did go over recently and got the console table and stools painted for their foyer, along with David’s help. They have more furniture painting to do, so that will happen along the way too. In the meantime, we’ve been looking at fabrics to cover 2 wing chairs in the sunroom and haven’t had much luck with that either. With Andrea working full-time, it only leaves weekends to get things done and she and I haven’t had a chance to fabric shop together. I’ve been getting samples of fabrics and bringing them to her, but we haven’t settled on one yet for the chairs. She really needs to see the whole bolt of fabric to decide on one, since small samples don’t always show the whole pattern.
In the meantime, I was on the Westside last week and stopped in 2 of my favorite fabric stores to look at what they have available now, cutting a few samples along the way. It made me think of how long I’ve been hanging out in fabric stores and it is a very long time. When I was growing up, my mom was a big seamstress and sewed all our clothes. She dragged us into fabric stores all the time and I can remember walking around looking at all the fabric. I wasn’t into decorating yet, but totally remember the smell and feel of those fabrics. She even made clothes for our Barbie dolls, which made me get these out to show y’all.
I still have my original Barbie case from around 1964 or 1965, when I got my first (and only) Barbie doll, Bubble cut Barbie.
She’s still in the case, along with those homemade clothes my mom made for her. These are the few that are left.
I think all of these are homemade, but not sure about the red coat. It might be store bought. The wedding dress was definitely home made with love.
As were all of these pieces. Look at that pretty gray suit and that cute striped frock and the a-line blue dress with the little apron that matched.
She is a Wonder Woman and sewed up a storm for us. She sewed so many clothes and then made drapes and pillows for me the entire time I’ve been in my houses over the years. The sewing gene skipped me and went straight to Lauren. Neither my sister or me loved sewing, although I tried it in Home Ec class, but never got really good at it.
Going to these fabric stores brought up all those good memories. I’ll probably pass my Barbie on to Parker one day, when she is old enough to appreciate her and those homemade clothes her great grandmother made. They really are treasures to save in the family.
Anyway, back to fabric browsing. Forsythe Fabrics and Lewis and Sheron are 2 of my favorite stores to browse in Atlanta and they have been around for many years. They have racks and rows of fabrics and trims and I always get inspired in there. It can be very overwhelming to go into a fabric store and try to narrow down fabrics for a project. But these are the places to go if you need lots of inspiration!
I took pics of lots of different colors, but one thing I did notice was the rows and rows of gray and greige fabrics. You can definitely tell that this is a popular color way.
All of these next pictures are from Lewis and Sheron and they have loads of fabrics, plus you can buy furniture there and custom cover them too.
Even rugs are available.
Oranges
Greens….happen to be a fave of mine!
More green.
Blues are also really still very popular out there, with so many shade of blues, which I also love.
We were looking at this pretty fabric as a possibility, but not sure if it’s going to make it or not.
See, lots more gray!
Gray, everywhere gray.
The neutrals have taken over.
But, there’s still plenty of color out there too for the color lovers.
Rows and rows of fabrics at both places.
That sea life print on top always makes me take a second look. Love the colors in that one.
Lots of stripes and more stripes.
Happy spring colors!
Blues for days!
More blues!
Forsythe Fabrics are all below, another great place to browse in Atlanta.
They have silks and all you can imagine.
And they have ready made drapes available. Does that Ikat look familiar? Yep, that is in my living room.
Fringes and trims galore too. I used to love all the fancy trims, but go for more of a simple look these days on pillows and drapes.
Loved this one too.
Loved all of these colors! So pretty.
See what I mean about overwhelming?! But fabrics are such a great way to update a room and make a huge difference. That’s why I’ve always had a fondness for fabric stores and all the decorating possibilities that are inside. It’s so fun to see a bolt of fabric and then have it come alive in your home.
My den drapes come to mind. This fabric sure made a difference in my den space.
And I love them dearly, the vibrant colors hanging on the windows.
Fabric dreaming is a fun thing to do! Hopefully, Andrea will get some fabric picked out and we can keep moving along on her projects soon.
I loved those fabrics! I took sewing in Home Ec. And even made my ring dance dress! I love how fabrics update a room. I would rather shop than sew now. What a great fabric store. I haven’t seen one that big. I had a barbie with the black and white striped bathing suit and blonde pony tail. I also had a red headed Midge. I uused nail polish remiver to remove her freckles.
Beautiful beautiful fabrics!! I love walking through and looking at them too. I was just thinking about your friend’s house the other day and was wondering how it was coming. Sorry they have not been well! Looking forward to seeing more of the transformation soon.
Oh wow I have the same barbie! And yes that red coat too. I think it had a clutch and hat and shoes . My mom made some clothes for my barbie too I can see your mom was a great seamstress…the detail! Good luck on picking fabric that is very overwhelming.
And I have that SAME Barbie, too. That is the “Bubble Cut Barbie.” I have some store bought clothing for her, but my mother made some real treasures for me – including a dress with a coordinating fully lined coat complete with bound button holes (for all you seamstresses out there). I treasure them, but have NOT allowed my granddaughters to touch them. This day and time, every little girl has a dozen or so of the dolls, which are more ‘throw away’. Maybe some day, but not now. (I also have my original Skipper and Francie dolls.)
As for fabric, I am in the midst of having drapes made for my dining room and Roman shade for two kitchen windows. Looking at fabric was a chore – since there are just too many choices these days. 🙂
B&B Fabric in Oneonta, AL is the place to go if you like lots of choices, and of course, there’s always Hobby Lobby who has some fabrics but not near the choices of these pics. Happy shopping!
Stepping into a great fabric store makes me want to change things just to have a reason to use the fabric. 🙂
I love my current curtains in our family room but would love to have some made that are spring/summer colors. Thanks for inspiring me.
Those Blues were my favorite! I love it when you take us along on these type of adventures-travel, antique shopping, fabrics…love them all. Ps-your mom is a treasure.
I love fabric!! What a treat to see that selection. Those doll clothes were hard to sew. being so tiny. Took a lot of patience.
I miss the fabric stores in Atlanta area. Fabric & Fringe in Marietta was one of my faves. I haven’t come across a good one in Greenville.
Hi Sheila! Are you in Greenville, SC? I’m in Clemson! Do you know about All About Fabrics in Williamston, SC (about 20 minutes from you). It is a giant fabric mill that opens to the public once a month. Designers show up from Atlanta and Charlotte to haul away van loads of fabric. Everything runs $6-8/yard. I found the fabric for my sister’s chairs and ottoman that a store in Charleston wanted to charge almost $1000 for $85! They also sell beautiful trims for $1/yard. Check out there FB page. Best selection is always the first day of the sale. I see you have a blog…I’m hopping over there to sign up! Nice to “meet” you!
We lost so many wonderful fabric stores with the economy down turn several years ago. Now it’s ordering off websites which leaves a lot to be desired. Thanks for your pretty fabric pictures. Love looking even when I don’t have a project in thr works.
You are showcasing my 2 go to favorite stores today. I still get tickled when thinking about my very first time visiting Forsyth Fabric around 1985 a chauffeur driven Bentley pulling a small U-Haul pulled up
when a very elegant lady stepped out. I ask an employee if she was famous and she stated that every few years she would redecorate her entire estate and totally loaded up that U-Haul with all new fabrics and then drive back to Miami. We are so fortunate to have so many wonderful stores here in Atlanta! 🙂
That’s a great story, Rene!
I would absolutely love walking around that fabric store! What a treasure trove. You really brought back a sweet memory for me. When I was around 8 yrs. old, we went to visit my grandmother. When we walked in her living room and there on her drop leaf table, on small juice glasses, was a table top full of Barbie clothes handmade by her. My sister and I had so much fun with them. She also made her a wedding dress with a rhinestone earring attached at the neck for decoration. I passed them down to my sister…. We need to find those clothes! I wish I loved to sew. Both grandmothers sewed beautifully. I paint, craft, etc but sewing really puts my nerves on edge!
I am a fabric junkie and try to stay out of these stores unless I need something for a specific project. I enjoyed seeing all of the eye candy in your post.
Having recently retired after teaching high school apparel and textiles for many years, those photos of the beautiful home decor fabrics make me want to drive to Atlanta! The real treasures, though, are the wonderfully detailed Barbie clothes your Mother lovingly made for your doll. Those small garments are more difficult to make than a drapery panel. Her work is beautiful. Definitely save them until your niece is old enough to appreciate them. What a talented Mother you have! Such a blessing.
I had that same case for my Barbie but I have no idea where it went. I want to teleport myself direct to the middle of this store and just spend days wandering around. Lucky for you that you can go any time you want.
Rhoda, I swoon over your den drapes every time I see them! Wandering around a fabric store for me is like being a kid in a candy store. I’m like Andrea and really like seeing the entire bolt rolled out. I still have the clothes my mom made for my Shirley Temple and Barbie…Mom celebrated her 87th birthday this week! ?
I have a valance over the kitchen window out of the fabric you have in your den. Just love it!
Linda
Thank You, Roxanne, I think those drapes made such a difference in my den space.
Huff Road! I love these fabric shops. I could spend days just looking, but when I’m looking for myself I can get a bit overwhelmed with all the choices. I have been known to drag my cousin along to help with his decorating skills.
Talk about eye candy and inspiration!!!! Thanks for the visual treats. We just got 10-12 inches of snow last night and so to see all of these lively bright fabrics inspires me to think about spring decorating!!!
You are talking part of my love language here. Plus, we have the same kind of mama and Barbie case. My Barbie had a brunette ponytail, or rather, has one. Love this fabric store- good memories from childhood and beyond. Wondering if they have a grass green buffalo check fabric now.
Hmmmm. Thanks !
You are so fortunate to live in a city with access to beautiful fabrics. We have, really, only one fabric store in the city, aside from one that does not carry upholstery or drapery fabric. It was a treat to see all the colour combinations! I like vibrant colour and would eschew the grey and taupe. Up here on Vancouver Island there is enough grey and fog – my windows need colour! Give me yellow and blue and coral any time!
This was a lovely post.
I love fabric, too! There is nothing more calming and inspiring than to spend time in the fabric store. I love the two that you featured. My mother sewed many of our clothes and I have great memories of going to the fabric shop with her. I loved seeing your Barbie clothes. What a great treasure to pass on to Parker!
When I was working on my den I hit the usual suspects (Lewis and Forsyth) and actually ended up finding some great stuff over at Fabric and Fringe on Canton Rd.
Hey Kim, Fabric and Fringe is definitely my favorite on our side of town!
Wow! Love those fabrics! My sister was the seamstress for our Barbies!