what do you think?
ok i'm torn. i can't decide if these are fabulous or borderline icky. i don't know. i'm drawn to the cutout circles, but wonder if they'll look sort of grandma's house with the dangly bits. thoughts? cool or not so cool? (disc pillows at neiman marcus, $315 a piece, eesh!)
Labels: accessories
posted by design*sponge @ 17.2.06
26 Comments:
no way
I say icky. The green one *may* be fabulous, but only when enhanced by a bright yellow wall with a fun plant wallpaper.
My advice: Change the colors of the dots to make them more saturated, use brighter colors, and perhaps even used two or three different colors of dots on each pillow.
And don't charge $315!!!
Who is going to ever pay more than $150 for a pillow? I winced at my $60 Thomas Paul, and I think SOO much more loverly!
Icky indeed.
The fantastic thing about photography or in-store displays is that professionals assemble then and as such take every measure to ensure that the product looks stellar.
And in the store or online one can easily be seduced and well...we've all been there.
These pillows look great in the photo and probally nowhere else.
And $315 is an insult. My guess is that anyone of us could make similar pillows for under $30 each.
-Julian
Stop Buying, Start Making
pass the pillows, they will look tired by weeks end...
can someone tell me how to make this? julian thinks we can all do this so i'd love to find out how...sounds easy, yes, julian?
ps: i dont think $315 is an insult, so much as a price that's just way too high.
d*s
The remind me of Santino's dress on this weeks challenge of Project Runway http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Runway_2/Episodes/Episode_11/Rate_the_Runway/Santino.shtml#rw_top. But not as shiny
Well $315 is a helluva lot of groceries for me... anyway...
1.) Purchase the pillows at a target, sears or anywhere else that sells pillows... (look for pillows with removable cases)
2.) Purchase your fabric of choice for the circles- either at a fabric store or online- this is where you get to go nutty- but not too nutty (I've accidentally ended up with WAY too much fabric many times)
3.) Decide on the assembly technique.
If the pillows have a cover that can be removed you're in grreat shape, otherwise it may be a bit trickier so look for pillows that have removable covers...
If you have a sewing machine then this is a walk in the park and I need not explain the details of sewing as you're most likely proficient.
If no sewing machine is available thenyou'll have to decide on a.) had sewing or b.) heat adhesive application.
Hand sewing is tedious but lends a beautiful hand-made, artistan touch and can be done while watching tv etc... If you know how to sew then again it's pretty self explanitory. (I don't like to sew by hand, rather my hands don't like it...)
My guess is that most will want to take the heat application technique.
There's a product (name escapes me at the moment) that is a thin film of heat activated adhesive. It comes sandwiched between two sheets of removable plastic. Peel off one side and iron it to a large piece of the fancy fabric you bought for the circles (make sure the piece is lage enough for all your circles and ensure that the film is well adhered) Go ahead and cut out your circles. Now you'll have a pile of cirlces with a head activated film on the back. Peel off the remaining plastic from the film (like a reverse sticker has) and then Iron it to the pillow cover...
In the end the heat adhesive film isn't the best solution but it will work- I would reccomend experimenting a bit to determine your proficiency and your tools etc...
Bingo.
-Julian
Stop Buying, Start Making.
julian how do i make perfect circles? out of ultrasuede like the picture...isn't it thick? im sewing impaired and would actually like to try these my self (weekend project) and would love to know how to cut these out myself...i want the super finished look like above, so hand cutting won't do it for me...god that would take so long.
d*s
just say no.
grace, there does exist a little machine for you to die-cut out fabric (felt usually) in different shapes, including circles, but that is a little investment for just one project. the scrapbook folk also have circle-cutting tools (and don't ask me how i know about that, ahem) but if you are using a heavier fabric it might not work. uh, a sharp metal punch would do it but it might be dull by the time you cut out oodles of circles. ok maybe that wasn't that helpful...good luck!
Icky. Difinitely icky.
But if you were inclined to replicate the ickiness in your own home for substantially less than $300, I think you could cut the circles with a circle punch from the scrapbooking aisle. There is also a circular template/ exacto thingy for scrapping. It might work on felt.
D*S,
I'm all for making them yourself; sounds like fun! I once found felt in a craft store that was already cut into different size circles; the material of the circles is really important or else you will have to deal with fraying.
Ultra-suede could be a good option (If you know a new york source for good ultra-suede please share), if you get the right material use something to trace (using tailor's chalk) the size circle that you want and then cut it out. That's really not that hard at all, I've done it in no time.
For a fun contemporary look you can cut the circles and attach them to the pillow using a tight stitch right in the middle of the circle (it will pull the material and make something that looks like an open rose rather than a flat circle). Follow your own pattern and you have something fun and unique of your own. I definitely think pillow covers will save you plenty of time though!
Have Fun!
For the circles you want to be carefull not to choose a fabric that's loosely woven otherwise it will fray. Felt is ideal, leather or suede is good...
You can go to Home Depot and buy a grommit punch in various sizes and use that. You'll want a piece of wood, like pine (nice and soft) and a hammer. Place the fabric on the wood, then as if you were a die cutter smack the punch with the hammer. The wood will keep the die shart and save your table/floor...
Another method of attaching the circles to the cover could be with rivets. Again Home Depot comes to the rescue. Simply poke a hole through the material and the pillow cover, slide the rivet through, you may want to use a small washer on the inside of the cover, and presto they'll be attached. I love rivets and have access to a hydraulic press and have used them many a-time !!
Good luck (I can't wait for the report!!)
-Julian
Stop Buying, Start Making
D*S, I honestly can't imagine the painstaking process that would be making these pillows. (Then again, as I previously mentioned, I'm DIY challenged, but more power to you!) Anyhoo, I think they'd be terrible dust-collectors and look beat after just a few months.
i knew i had seen a similar pillow in a tv commercial for target... finally found it on their site - vinyl applique for $29.99
http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/601-7299649-2922521?node=16317011
These would be nice for a room at a beach house. They aren't the most inspired pillows but have a nice airy quality. As for pricing - really, not many pillows are worth more than $50 - maybe Jonathan Adler and a pillow with Girard fabric but that's where I draw the line.
Ok.
So I visited the Neiman Marcus website to check out these pillows for myself.
While I personally don't love them from an aesthetic standpoint, I do see their value and their pricetag.
I think it's important to note that not everything D*S posts is for everyone, nor should it be.
First off.
These pillows are branded Ultrasuede. This fabric is expensive, and far superior to faux sueded materials that are ususally just brushed woven or knit polyester. Ultrasuede is nearly stain resistant, and able to withstand machine laundering. The dots might not survive, but the fabric is nearly indestructable.
Second.
Hand sewn. Time consuming and important to many people.
Third.
Made in USA. Very few textiles are made in America anymore. Farming out production for cheap labour doesn't really benefit anyone in the long run, it simply makes it easier for people to throw stuff into our landfills. I think that is irresponsible consumption. Buy what you love and treat it like art, not as something disposable.
These pillows are also fairly large at 21 inches square.
Maybe you don't like them, and/or maybe they are way beyond your price range, but I think the comments here are coming from a place of for lack of a better word... ignorance. Ignorance about fabric, production, cost of materials, and the benefits of domestic production.
And as for making your own.
Vinyl (which would really be "icky"), leather, Ultrasuede (the real stuff), and felt would be the only appropriate fabrics to attempt this sort of construction. Most other materials would fray at the edges.
And make sure your sewing skills are up to snuff. Handmade is different from homemade.
The dangling circles would get on my nerves, I think. And I know the price would.
I saw a version of the applique circle pillow in the cb2 catalogue recently, and it's also on their website http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=595&f=2531. It's not quite the same as the neiman marcus pillow, but I think at 24.95 with wool-blend circles, it's a pretty decent price. I do like the idea of DIY as well, but I think it would be difficult to cut good non-fraying circles out of fabric with most tools.
Pass.........granny did it better might work if antique...just off...H
I might be ignorant on the process to make it, but not matter how many hands went into it, and how long it took, and how expensive the material is, I still am appalled at the idea of paying $300 and change for a PILLOW. People are starving in the world. I cannot justify that expense.
So don't pay it for god's sake.
Why is there so much debate about the cost of things.
Some people can and some can't pay it.
That's the nature of the world.
I'd be willing to bet that there are lots of people that wouldn't pay $300 for the pillow, but would pay much much more for a pair of shoes that might get worn three times before they are deemed OUT.
It just comes down to priorities and what you like. There is so much venom associated with pillow prices here. I for one just don't get it.
I always like the discussion about pricing.
...why should someone pay US$10000.00 for a car when you can also drive around with one for US$500.00.
...but there still seem to be enough to do it.
A cushion you get for US$29.00 would never get such a lot of comments.
Think about it.
"So don't pay it for god's sake.
Why is there so much debate about the cost of things. Some people can and some can't pay it.
That's the nature of the world."
Because regardless if some can pay for it or not, it's sickening to some of us that people WILL pay that much for something practically useless when there is so much poverty in the world. Not that everyone has to give their hard-earned money to the less fortunate, that's not what I'm saying. But overpriced goods are a bit of a shock to many because of the gross consumerism involved.
Frankly, I'm surprised when people *aren't* surprised by these kinds of prices. To each their own - I'm tired of people snarking on the very real objection of price.
Again...
How do you know what is "overpriced"?
Are you a manufacturer?
Do you have any experience with what it takes to have something made and then bring that object to market?
Does is matter to you that the American textile industry has been decimated by all the cheap textiles now populating our Wal-Marts and Targets only to end up in a landfill at the whim of a trend?
Why is it sickening to you that someone would pay that price?
How do you know that the person who can isn't also doing something about the less fortunate?
Those of us who are involved everyday in the manufacturing of goods know full well the cost incurred. Those of us who refuse to manufacture overseas have not much choice but to pass that cost on to you, the end consumer. I think you should be willing to pay to keep as much manufacturing in our own country. I think you should be willing to pay for quality textiles or whatever. Bitching about the price and the less fortunate and whatever else is such an oversimplification of a much bigger and broader issue. Why wouldn't you pay more for something you really loved and keep it.
I think it is a much bigger issue that our consumer culture encourages the over consumption of quantity over quality. Obsolesence (sorry I can't spell) is built in to most of what is mass produced so we'll buy more.
I'm all for discussions about price, but not when there is a value judgement placed on how much something is without consideration of why. Maybe there is no good reason, maybe the item is overpriced, but maybe it isn't. Maybe it's just out of reach and maybe that causes a twinge of jealousy at not being able to afford it.
If you don't want quality, then fine go to some discount store and buy something that is made in China or India, or wherever and is good enough and when you get tired of it, or it looks like crap the first time through he wash, never you mind about what you are doing to our landfills when you toss it.
And... who are you to say that something is practically useless.
"To each their own - I'm tired of people snarking on the very real objection of price."
I concur. It is a real objection.
And as far as these pillows are concerned, I can certainly find hotter shoes for much cheeper-and not even succumb to sweatshops.
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