Luxury Bedding
Exclusive Luxury Bedding
by Richard Hedley
One of the pleasures of having your own space is the enjoyment of providing luxury bedding for your sleeping arrangements. Luxury bedding means different things to different people, but at the very least it means having something special to sleep on. It doesn’t even have to be expensive. Luxury bedding can simply be a texture, color or style you enjoy.
Some people consider the feel of silk sheets to be the ultimate in luxury. The natural fiber against the skin gives a sensation of elegance like no other. Silk sheets as a item of luxury bedding needs about the same level of care you provide your silk blouses and scarves. It’s definitely not something to throw in the regular cycle of the washing machine with hot water.
Silk sheet sets come in a variety of colors and weights and are often sold as part of complete bedding set including sheets, comforter, pillow cases, shams and perhaps even a dust ruffle. Other silk sheet sets are more tailored in appearance, relying on color and feel to set the tone of the luxury bedding.
Other people choose luxury bedding of Egyptian cotton in Italian designed linens. The heavy cotton sometimes relies on woven patterns in the fabric to add texture and richness. These may take the form of stripes of regular and satiny texture in a white on white pattern for example. The warmth and durability of the quality Egyptian cotton means you can have luxury that wears well and can stand laundering without special handling.
At a minimum luxury bedding will have a high thread count. Ordinary bedding will have a thread count of 180 to 200. Luxury bedding might have a thread count of over 1200. Obviously the higher the thread count, the more luxurious the look and feel of the sheets.
Luxury bedding for many people is satin sheets, They claim to sleep better because when turning or moving on these sheets, they don’t pull at the clothing and skin as some of the regular bedding does. The drawback to some satin sheets is that they require more care when laundering than do cotton bedding.
Part of the enjoyment of luxury bedding is the wide range of colors available now. You can find bedding sets in almost any color you can imagine from neon to white and with flowers, stripes or solid colors. Theme bedding is available if you want a bit of whimsy with your luxury.
Richard Hedley is the author of the articles on Luxury bedding, Contemporary home decor and home decor.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Art Quilts
Art Quilts
Learning To Appreciate Art Quilts
By Katrina Sjoberg
Good Morning,
I have been mulling over the question of how one learns to appreciate art, fabric art in particular, and how to educate the public about art quilts.
First of all, art quilts as an art form is a relatively new concept in the art world. Textile art has existed a long time in the form of woven tapestries or sewn garments. Quilts have also existed a long time and have even been decorated with embroidery even as they were used as bedspreads on beds for warmth. Some garments were quilted and used under armor and other outerwear to keep people warm.
Traditional American quilts flourished in the 1800s and were mostly used for practical purposes although they were very artfully hand sewn and embroidered. A lot of women made quilts for their trousseaus and also telling family histories such as births, marriages and deaths. Still, they were mostly treasured as family heirlooms handed down for several generations. Today, museums and private collectors pay huge sums for antique bed quilts so in that sense, they are now art.
The modern art quilts (to be hung on the wall) evolved in the early 70s, through the 80s and the 90s. Many women were interested in their grandmother's quilts or quilts their mothers made for them and had learned sewing and hand embroidery since they were young, but wanted to find new ways of expressing their creativity using fabrics of all kinds. The notion came that maybe we could make quilts that would strictly be for decorative purposes to be displayed on the walls in homes, hotel lobbies, offices, restaurants and other public spaces.
There was a lot of experimentation taking place at this time using traditional cutting or sewing techniques and designs in new expanded ways where blocks were not all the same but different. Some artists even used blocks of different sizes to be sewn together in creative ways. Many started coloring, dyeing and printing their own fabrics which then were cut up in various ways and reassembled to form a new graphic image. Some used one piece of fabric and embellished it with more fabric sewn directly onto the top, either appliqued by hand or machine. Some added colorful hand stitching as part of the design.
Sewing techniques became innovative also because of new sewing machine technology where lots of machine stitching and embroidery became part of the overall design, not just used to quilt two layers of fabric and the batting together. This trend continues today with many fabric artists using free motion (random stitching) to highlight areas of design or even be an intricate part of the graphics.
Also as the interest grew in sewing and new fabrics came on the market, new kinds of threads emerged on the scene. Metallic threads in all colors meant that some very interesting effects could be achieved by machine quilting in specific areas. All kinds of threads came along with different kinds of qualities that could be used in creative ways.
The latest trend is the renewed interest in yarns of all kinds which many fabric artists like to incorporate onto the surface of their art quilts. Specialty yarns of all kinds and colors can add exciting textures to the designs. Additional embellishments used nowadays are beads, ribbons, trinkets and even new kinds of fibers. Some artists are even incorporating materials and techniques from other artforms.
So how are these wall quilts art? They are art because they're original visions manifested in various ways using fabrics much in the same way as an artist would use brushes. They are art because they express high levels of creativity of images never before seen. They are art because of the innovations in techniques they represent. And they bring tremendous amounts of beauty to our often denatured, sterile and concrete-filled asphalt jungle environment.
I remember a few years ago when I saw my first real art quilts displayed at a local center where I frequently went for meetings. It was a private display of three very large art quilts depicting various scenes inspired by the Holy Writings of the Baha'i Faith. I literally stopped in my tracks when I entered the room! The atmosphere and energy were totally changed just because of those beautiful works of art. I will never forget that moment and I am sure that is one of the reasons I decided that I wanted to create something similar.
So, how do you learn to appreciate this new art form? Go to quilt exhibits, local and national, as often as you can. Almost all traditional quilt exhibits now include some form of art quilts as a special category. Prizes are given and artists are given recognition. Many have written books about the techniques they've invented or perhaps they've come up with a variation of a cutting technique. Find quilting programs on your local TV network or cable, many now devote one or two programs per week to fabric art.
In general, read art books that you find in the local library. Go to museums and regular art exhibits. Take art classes and art appreciation classes to get a good basic background about art in general. Then you will begin to appreciate the work involved and the time it takes to create an art quilt.
Happy Looking!
Katrina [http://www.designbykatrina.com]www.designbykatrina.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katrina_Sjoberg http://EzineArticles.com/?Learning-To-Appreciate-Art-Quilts&id=338187
Learning To Appreciate Art Quilts
By Katrina Sjoberg
Good Morning,
I have been mulling over the question of how one learns to appreciate art, fabric art in particular, and how to educate the public about art quilts.
First of all, art quilts as an art form is a relatively new concept in the art world. Textile art has existed a long time in the form of woven tapestries or sewn garments. Quilts have also existed a long time and have even been decorated with embroidery even as they were used as bedspreads on beds for warmth. Some garments were quilted and used under armor and other outerwear to keep people warm.
Traditional American quilts flourished in the 1800s and were mostly used for practical purposes although they were very artfully hand sewn and embroidered. A lot of women made quilts for their trousseaus and also telling family histories such as births, marriages and deaths. Still, they were mostly treasured as family heirlooms handed down for several generations. Today, museums and private collectors pay huge sums for antique bed quilts so in that sense, they are now art.
The modern art quilts (to be hung on the wall) evolved in the early 70s, through the 80s and the 90s. Many women were interested in their grandmother's quilts or quilts their mothers made for them and had learned sewing and hand embroidery since they were young, but wanted to find new ways of expressing their creativity using fabrics of all kinds. The notion came that maybe we could make quilts that would strictly be for decorative purposes to be displayed on the walls in homes, hotel lobbies, offices, restaurants and other public spaces.
There was a lot of experimentation taking place at this time using traditional cutting or sewing techniques and designs in new expanded ways where blocks were not all the same but different. Some artists even used blocks of different sizes to be sewn together in creative ways. Many started coloring, dyeing and printing their own fabrics which then were cut up in various ways and reassembled to form a new graphic image. Some used one piece of fabric and embellished it with more fabric sewn directly onto the top, either appliqued by hand or machine. Some added colorful hand stitching as part of the design.
Sewing techniques became innovative also because of new sewing machine technology where lots of machine stitching and embroidery became part of the overall design, not just used to quilt two layers of fabric and the batting together. This trend continues today with many fabric artists using free motion (random stitching) to highlight areas of design or even be an intricate part of the graphics.
Also as the interest grew in sewing and new fabrics came on the market, new kinds of threads emerged on the scene. Metallic threads in all colors meant that some very interesting effects could be achieved by machine quilting in specific areas. All kinds of threads came along with different kinds of qualities that could be used in creative ways.
The latest trend is the renewed interest in yarns of all kinds which many fabric artists like to incorporate onto the surface of their art quilts. Specialty yarns of all kinds and colors can add exciting textures to the designs. Additional embellishments used nowadays are beads, ribbons, trinkets and even new kinds of fibers. Some artists are even incorporating materials and techniques from other artforms.
So how are these wall quilts art? They are art because they're original visions manifested in various ways using fabrics much in the same way as an artist would use brushes. They are art because they express high levels of creativity of images never before seen. They are art because of the innovations in techniques they represent. And they bring tremendous amounts of beauty to our often denatured, sterile and concrete-filled asphalt jungle environment.
I remember a few years ago when I saw my first real art quilts displayed at a local center where I frequently went for meetings. It was a private display of three very large art quilts depicting various scenes inspired by the Holy Writings of the Baha'i Faith. I literally stopped in my tracks when I entered the room! The atmosphere and energy were totally changed just because of those beautiful works of art. I will never forget that moment and I am sure that is one of the reasons I decided that I wanted to create something similar.
So, how do you learn to appreciate this new art form? Go to quilt exhibits, local and national, as often as you can. Almost all traditional quilt exhibits now include some form of art quilts as a special category. Prizes are given and artists are given recognition. Many have written books about the techniques they've invented or perhaps they've come up with a variation of a cutting technique. Find quilting programs on your local TV network or cable, many now devote one or two programs per week to fabric art.
In general, read art books that you find in the local library. Go to museums and regular art exhibits. Take art classes and art appreciation classes to get a good basic background about art in general. Then you will begin to appreciate the work involved and the time it takes to create an art quilt.
Happy Looking!
Katrina [http://www.designbykatrina.com]www.designbykatrina.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katrina_Sjoberg http://EzineArticles.com/?Learning-To-Appreciate-Art-Quilts&id=338187
Friday, May 2, 2008
Antique Turkish Rugs
Antique Turkish Rugs
Want to Own an Antique Turkish Rug? Try an Oushak Rug
By Mike Palmer
Many people find it satisfying to invest in home decoration. This allows them to relax in the comfort of their abode while enjoying the view of some of their worthy investments. If you're this type of person, then why not purchase antique Turkish rugs? Antique Turkish rugs, especially Oushak rugs are great decorative pieces to add into your home.
Antique rugs like the Oushak rug were made by a large number of independent weavers back in the eleventh to fifteenth century. Before, they were all widely acclaimed all over Europe. In fact, artists like Hans Holbein and Lorenzo Lotto have depicted them in their paintings because of their great appreciation.
But in the 18th century, Oushak rug production deteriorated. Now, many Turkish rugs are more commercial.
Finding an antique Oushak Turkish rug is not that difficult because you can find sites on the net which offer these kinds of rugs. But because it's rare to find an authentic antique rug nowadays, it can be very pricey.
The cost that you will pay is just in proportion to the rugs exceptionally decorative nature. Antique Turkish rugs have large decorative patterns and the rug itself is very soft. Many trendsetters prefer these antique rugs for interior designs.
If you want to add a different touch of rugs in your home, try an antique Turkish rug. It will not only be decorative, but your friends will truly admire a work of art every time they visit your home. Antique pieces such as this are quite valuable, and as they age, they become even more valuable. Just make sure that it is maintained and cleaned properly.
Other rugs people find exotic and decorative are pink braided rugs, red Rooster kitchen rugs, and fine Sumak rugs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Palmer http://EzineArticles.com/?Want-to-Own-an-Antique-Turkish-Rug?-Try-an-Oushak-Rug&id=382784
Want to Own an Antique Turkish Rug? Try an Oushak Rug
By Mike Palmer
Many people find it satisfying to invest in home decoration. This allows them to relax in the comfort of their abode while enjoying the view of some of their worthy investments. If you're this type of person, then why not purchase antique Turkish rugs? Antique Turkish rugs, especially Oushak rugs are great decorative pieces to add into your home.
Antique rugs like the Oushak rug were made by a large number of independent weavers back in the eleventh to fifteenth century. Before, they were all widely acclaimed all over Europe. In fact, artists like Hans Holbein and Lorenzo Lotto have depicted them in their paintings because of their great appreciation.
But in the 18th century, Oushak rug production deteriorated. Now, many Turkish rugs are more commercial.
Finding an antique Oushak Turkish rug is not that difficult because you can find sites on the net which offer these kinds of rugs. But because it's rare to find an authentic antique rug nowadays, it can be very pricey.
The cost that you will pay is just in proportion to the rugs exceptionally decorative nature. Antique Turkish rugs have large decorative patterns and the rug itself is very soft. Many trendsetters prefer these antique rugs for interior designs.
If you want to add a different touch of rugs in your home, try an antique Turkish rug. It will not only be decorative, but your friends will truly admire a work of art every time they visit your home. Antique pieces such as this are quite valuable, and as they age, they become even more valuable. Just make sure that it is maintained and cleaned properly.
Other rugs people find exotic and decorative are pink braided rugs, red Rooster kitchen rugs, and fine Sumak rugs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Palmer http://EzineArticles.com/?Want-to-Own-an-Antique-Turkish-Rug?-Try-an-Oushak-Rug&id=382784
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