The Brick Path Studio

Button Back Detail

2011-10-24T08:09:00.003-05:00

We love to add these extra details to a slipcover. Everything from the button back placket, contrasting welt, to the scalloped edge on the short skirt. It truly makes a piece look custom.
The customer brought us a linen look fabric that worked well for the body of the slipcover. A scalloped edge at the bottom of the skirt is a detail we have done a few times before but we always love the finished product. Chocolate brown fabric was used for welt cord on the entire piece and on the buttons down the back. Buttonholes for this piece are worked into a seam making the alignment tricky but a unique look.

Antique Chair Slipcovered

2011-04-30T16:00:00.002-05:00

This chair belongs to Jo Althaus who owns Southside Antiques here in Chattanooga. (That's a glimpse of her shop you see in the background!) She owns 6 side chairs and 2 armchairs. They are wonderful Victorian chairs and she worked the needlepointed seats years ago.

Jo felt she needed to update her look and bring some soft goods into her dining room. When she decided to slipcover the two armchairs, she came to us. We've been working neighbors for years now...she and her business partner Connie have had the antique store on the Southside long before the Southside was cool! We had already slipcovered 1 or 2 wingchairs for her... back when we were located across the river on the Northshore of downtown Chattanooga.

As you see from the pictures, the slipcover really makes the beautiful curved arms jump out visually. Also, the short skirt allows the unique stretcher to show...giving her the best of both worlds - adding some softness and a great fabric to her room while allowing the beauty of a fine antique to show.

PS: The fabric is a heavy linen/cotton and is printed in a French sacking design. It was purchased in Chattanooga at Associated Fabrics.

View of Chattanooga

2011-04-25T14:18:00.002-05:00

I'm posting this picture to show one of the great perks that come with our working day. This is the view we had while working on some chairs in a downtown location. It was greater than a 180 degree view of downtown and the nearby mountains. Wow. Chattanooga is a beautiful city in which to live and work. There are many outdoor activities available as well as art and cultural events...all with this natural gorgeousness right in front of you!

Custom Linen Coverlet

2011-04-25T13:53:00.003-05:00

This is a detail picture of a coverlet we have recently completed for a talented designer that works in Chattanooga and the Atlanta area. She chose a pale, dusty pink linen in a washed finish for the main side and an amazing hand blocked print for the back. On the solid side we quilted the 3 layers (there is a flannel interlining) together with these great looking bullion knots. There are 81 of them! ...and yes, my fingers are sore. But I LOVE the look.

I really do believe that the details make all the difference.

Plaid Slipcover

2011-04-25T13:48:00.002-05:00

It's always a trick to put plaid on furniture! See how Lori has lined up and placed the plaid on this chair so carefully? It is really lively and fun because of the great colors too. This is for a customer's vacation home and is sure to be a favorite reading spot.

Monogrammed Linen Slipcovers

2010-12-22T08:55:00.002-05:00

Tis the season for slipcovers!

This is a pair of linen slipcovers commissioned by a decorator from Yessicks Design Center here. Natalie Sims' eye for scale and color is very obvious in this pair of chairs - slipcovered for a client in the North Chattanooga area.
Natalie opted for a clean look (sans welt cording) and put a punch in with the oversized monograms in a pumpkin/clay color. Before, these simple open-armed chairs might have been regulated to a rarely used spot in the house. But now, they can take star positions in the now beautiful living room.

New Project-Vintage French Bed

2010-10-15T09:28:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited over my latest find! ...Well, actually it's my cohort Lori's find. She knew I was looking for a full/double size bed for the room my daughter vacated when she left for college. This was spied by her eagle eyes in one of our favorite vintage furniture stores - and she knew I'd fall in love with it. It's still sitting in the store and I plan to pick it up tomorrow when I get a truck. Lori and I have discussed several possibilities (I'm sure they're limitless!) but we've come to no hard conclusions on what we are going to do. We've discussed fabric colors and types as well as how we are going to treat the wood. I love the idea of painting it because I already have a mix of wood colors in that room.
Hmmm. It's exciting to be working on a project for myself. I'm like the shoemaker whose children have bare feet!
What to do...what to do.
Any suggestions?

Slipcovers with Print Trim

2010-10-14T11:46:00.002-05:00

Hot off the press! This pair of slipcovers is displayed at our downtown Chattanooga store called Chrysalis. The main fabric is a cotton/linen blend and Lori got a great idea to put a grommet closure in the back. We have matching lumbar pillows in the seats...love 'em! You may also get a hint of the 42" table that is covered to match.

Red Toile Slipcovers

2010-09-24T20:24:00.002-05:00

We did a pair of these armed dining chairs recently. The customer had recovered the slipseats and wanted us to do just the backs and the arms. Notice that the ties are really fun and casual with the back vent/pleat softly falling open to reveal the pattern on the inside. The other chairs in the set are side chairs but these will serve as the captains chairs in a French County style home.

Green Silk Drapes

2010-09-10T08:34:00.002-05:00

These drapes are still hanging on our "drapery horse" in the West studio. I will be taking them to the decorator on Lookout Mountain (just West of Downtown Chattanooga) and we will gently lay them across her spare beds like formal dresses awaiting prom night! They are incredibly full and lush. This picture doesn't quite capture the true color depth of the green silk....it's really brilliant.
They will be installed in a dining room in Columbus, Georgia next week and hopefully I will receive pictures to post here soon. I was in Columbus to do the original measure, but won't be going back for the installation....Boo Hoo! Hopefully, I will be able to go sometime soon and see them hanging.

These are interlined in heavy English Bump cloth. It is a fat blanket-type of interlining fit for castle drapes! It gives the pleats a plump, fat look as well as gives ooomph to the hems as they break gently on the floor.

I've featured the work of this decorator before on my blog...she's just amazing. It's Carol Brown of Carol Brown Interiors. She has done many Southern homes, is available in the Chattanooga region, and often travels to other areas as required. Always a delight to work with, Carol is tops in our books... we especially love her passion for slipcovers!

Slipcover for a lampshade!

2010-09-03T09:33:00.003-05:00

This is a slipcover for a lampshade! We created it out of a fairly heavy, washed bull denim. When it gets dusty or dirty, the homeowner can just put it in the washing machine. In the mean time it adds a bit of softness to the room. This fun lady is totally in LOVE with French Country decor and has been working with us to give her living room that soft, beautiful, livable look she is going for. We had already slipcovered 2 chairs in this same fabric.
We are currently working on toile chair back covers for the captain's chairs in her dining room. I will post a picture of that when we get them done. She had seen something similar in the set design of the movie, "Something's Gotta Give" and wanted that for her own dining room.
If you see something in a magazine or even in a movie....chances are that The Brick Path Studio can create it!

Slipcovered wooden chair

2010-08-06T14:03:00.002-05:00

This is a chair that is covered very simply, yet in an elegant way. There is no welt cording on the cushion or the chair cover. The body piece has a Velcro closure and helps with the pared-down look. It is actually a rush bottomed chair and is owned by an adorable toddler that can't touch the floor when sitting on it yet! His mother arranged for us to cover it to be used as his desk chair in his bedroom. As he grows, he will be able to use this classic chair to sit, color and cut; then later to do his high school studies. His mother brought us a picture she had seen in a magazine of a similar chair and said she knew we were the people for the job to create the fat and crested cushion. This customer is "all about" the crest on her cushions! ...We are too.

Slipcover in Linen with Button Detail

2010-08-03T21:28:00.004-05:00

This is a heavy washed linen slipcover on a cute little slipper chair. The full view picture makes it look a bit "catawumpus", but it's not...it's the angle that I took the picture from! ...I guess I was going for the surreal look.
The next picture is of the button detail. This is a detail usually found in couture clothing items. The button holes are set into a small welt cording. Very tailored and beautiful. I really love this.
We set the skirt slightly on the floor for a casual, yet elegant look.

Pictures from the Hidden World of the Workroom!

2010-07-08T16:54:00.003-05:00

We've been busy with a couple of top secret projects and I haven't had time to post pictures of the slipcovers or window treatments we've sent out lately, so I thought this was a fun picture to show. This is the cabinet in our East workroom that holds our small hardware parts like metal grommets, Roman shade pieces, decorative upholstery nails, cording, and all kinds of rings, pins and fasteners. Lori and Patsy discovered this cabinet at a local thrift store and snagged it for us. Its perfect. We love the way it looks...from any angle!

Vintage Fabrics! Roman Shade

2010-05-24T16:51:00.004-05:00

This is still on the cutting table, but I just had to show it! This homeowner has an eye for beautiful vintage items... she collects everything from old advertising to lovely old fabrics like this. It is actually a handstitched table cloth that we've fashioned into a Roman shade for a guest room window. We have left this totally uncut so 20 years from now it could be a table cloth again! Luckily there was plenty of room around the smallish window so we could make the shade large enough to accommodate the design. In the background of the top picture you can see the results of decorator Becky Wilson's idea to use the 6 matching napkins. It is a pillow that we backed with a similar natural linen. The napkins are simply appliqued onto the surface. Since it ended up to be an odd size, we have ordered a custom down/feather form to fit ...and it has yet to arrive.
Projects like this are so fun and usually end up being very special to the client.

Galleries at Southside

2010-05-06T11:43:00.002-05:00

We keep adding new merchandise to our kiosk at The Galleries at Soutside in downtown Chattanooga. Take a look at our new vintage silk "Astro Bags"! Also, here's a detailed shot of a new "Origami" pillow we just put in the other day. These are mostly in our heavy weight linens because they are SO crisp!

Visit this weekend and you can also shop the Galleries at Southside spring garage sale! There's lots of merchandise to meander through on huge tables in the garage area of the store. Visit them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Chattanooga-TN/the-galleries-at-southside/309019604554?ref=ts and see the latest!

Slipcovers with More Knife Pleats

2010-04-19T16:11:00.004-05:00

This is a different take on knife pleats! It is really more of a edge trim instead of a skirt. This slipcover is done in a cream colored brushed denim. We LOVED the little tab and button detail on the back kick pleat. --what fun! It's a great way to add interest when a chair is floating out in the center of the room and will be seen from the back.

Slipcover with flirty knife-pleated skirt!

2010-04-11T09:46:00.003-05:00

Here's a slipcover for a French armchair that's hot off the press! The customer hasn't even seen it as it was just finished by Lori late on Friday. It is done in a pre-washed white twill fabric and will function perfectly for the homeowner - after her much loved cats lounge around on it for a while. This customer knew exactly what she wanted and even brought in a picture from a magazine to show us the look she was going for.
The arm covers fasten on with hook & loop closures, but anything goes. We could have used buttons, ties, tabs, zippers...you name it. Anything you would find on a dress, a pair of pants or even a great designer handbag can be incorporated into a slipcover. Sometimes we think we've done it all, but then someone will bring in a great magazine picture with an odd, yet fabulous idea that we've never dreamed of. Or we will get new inspiration while browsing a vintage magazine or looking through an old apparel design book. Ideas are hidden EVERYWHERE! It's an exciting adventure to ferret them out.

Pillow Details

2010-03-30T12:11:00.004-05:00

I had to show the detail of the swirling rosette on the origami pillow. The written description was just not working! Also, I wanted to say that the white slipcovers on the wing chairs are a cotton duck and are very washable! Just pop them in the old Maytag and pop them back on the chairs if you get a spill! We pre-washed this fabric prior to making the slipcovers. It make for great function...but still has a fabulous look.

Latest in our Showroom/Outlet

2010-03-30T11:31:00.002-05:00

We have the first wave of merchandise installed at our showroom/outlet at the Galleries at Southside in downtown Chattanooga. Here is a quick snap of what some of it looks like. The going colors are deep ORANGE, bright white, and rough natural linens. We've thrown in a bit of spice with a deep aqua color called "Rain" as well as some muted greens. The small pillows you see in the white slipcovered wing chairs are part of our "origami series". There is a highly dimensional, swirling rose design with some incredible mitered corner work surrounding it. I'll be posting more pix of the origami babies soon!

Pillow and Cushion Details!

2010-03-11T10:57:00.004-05:00

Here's some more details from the job I've been posting about lately.

The kitchen chair cushions are covered in a classic Cowtan and Tout check in the dark brown color the decorator repeated throughout the kitchen, dining room and den. We created a paper pattern of the chair seat and had a high-quality/high-density foam cut to match the shape before covering them with zippered covers with ties. This foam will give good support for years to come and not go flat & lose their spring after a few months of use. When it comes to foam quality, you really do get what you pay for! A while back, when the price of petroleum based products soared, foam prices went right along. But it is always worth investing in a quality cushion insert.

The pillows for the living room sofa were divine. We especially love the flanged, boxed lumbar pillow in the coral stripe you see in the foreground. Lori has a secret "magic trick" to stitch those babies!

Roman Shades with Grosgrain trim

2010-02-21T00:14:00.002-05:00

Here are the Roman shades that were shown in the last post after installation! The wide, chocolate brown grosgrain ribbon on the creamy white linen fabric was a totally genious decision. I'll be posting pictures of other window treatments and pillows for this job in their new home in the next few days!

"House Beautiful" Fabric

2010-02-12T13:47:00.000-05:00

This is how a job can look before going out the door to be installed! Here the window treatments and pillows are gathered on our drapery horse in the shop. The fabrics look great together and were carefully chosen by the decorator...in this case, Susan Lesourd of Chattanooga. Notice the main print fabric she chose? It is featured on page 124-125 of the December/January 2010 issue of House Beautiful. In the magazine, its shown in a blue/brown colorway. It is great stuff with a fabulous feel to it.

Window Treatments Dramatic & on Display!

2010-02-03T14:58:00.003-05:00

Well, while we are on the subject of dramatically colored and high impact draperies.....
We had a comment posted here on the blog by a recent shop visitor wanting details of a top secret drapery project we had squirreled away in a corner. Since the cat is partially out of the bag, I've decided to post a "teaser" shot of this venture. This is a fabric swatch of some amazing window treatments we are making for display. The fabric is a pumpkin-colored stylized print from Duralee. It is very young and fresh. It will look sublime against our brownish-gray walls.

They are part of our new Spring collection that we are unveiling late February or early March at The Brick Path Mercantile. For those who don't know, "The Mercantile" is our design showroom & store located at The Galleries at Southside. The Galleries is a home decor mall located in the 1400 block of Cowart Street in downtown Chattanooga (It's 2 blocks West of the Historic Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel and Train Station.)

We will be be stocking a fresh batch of distinctive pillows (some outlandishly striking) that we've dreamed up (as well as elegant traditional ones.) Past purchasers of our pillows have enjoyed and appreciated the luxury of the 25/75 down/feather pillow forms as well as the zippers on the covers that allow for removal for cleaning.

The collection will also include our standards like the beautiful white table cloth and napkin sets, tea cozies, neck warmers, and unique grommeted bags we call Astro Bags. New will be some out of the ordinary shopping bags you won't be able to resist! We have more "Chattanooga Made" items that we will be putting out as surprises...but for now, they will remain that - surprises!

Window Treatments - Red Drapery - WOW!

2010-01-22T09:10:00.005-05:00

These incredible red, faux silk draperies were designed by a local decorator for a client in North Chattanooga. Becky Wilson of Galleries at Southside wanted a dramatic dining room in this adorable, light filled home that was built in the 1930's. When Becky showed me the fabric sample, I suggested she line and interline them with a product called Bella Notte Duet. It is a light-blocking lining/interlining combination that has the bonus feature of turning window treatments into something closely akin to a ballgown...with a crisp, flowing elegance. We chose this mainly so that light wouldn't pass through the red fabric and cast a red glow into the room. The bright red color is an energetic choice that will make for lively dinners... but an overly bright red glow would have created an almost "surreal" effect that might have been a bit over-the-top! This is the type of technical advice a workroom like ours can offer designers, decorators and homeowners. Unless you've had the experience with certain products and materials, it is easy to make a decision with an unexpected consequence --- like an unearthly "science fiction" feel to your dining room!

Also, note the beautiful iron hardware Becky selected and the long, thin wrought iron wands used to open and close the drapes. They become a design feature instead of a strictly utilitarian characteristic.

Roman Shade with Contrast Banding

2010-01-16T11:55:00.003-05:00

This is a Roman Shade that Lori made for our West workroom. This is called an "inside mount" as it sits inside the window frame. If light leak isn't a consideration, this type of mounting has a great look and can show off great-looking window framing. (A good choice if you have a beautiful window that you hate to cover up!) The contrasting bias trim gives this shade a perky look.

Dining Room Embellishment

2009-12-26T17:23:00.003-05:00

A pair of white monogrammed slipcovers for its captain's chairs is exactly what a dining room needs! Covering the two end chairs in a dining room setting can add a bit of uniqueness, glamour, and personal flair. A nearby Signal Mountain design shop (Design Style) had us create these slipcovers in a fresh white linen and set it all off with a perky raspberry welt cord trim.
The initial was embroidered at a precious little shop here in the Riverview community of Chattanooga called Charlotte's Webb. We trust and recommend them often to our customers who want something stunning. We usually cut the blank for the embroidered panels and send the customers there in person to pick out exactly what they want. When the stitching is complete, we cut it to the pattern and insert it in the slipcover.

In this case, we never saw the second chair. We made a duplicate of the first and the designer placed the slipcover on the chair that had never left the home. We were told the customer was estatic. Lori's eye for detail in shaping the covers to perfection is the stuff legends are made of! The oversized contrasting buttons are a fun touch. The decorator, Janice Roberts, went the extra mile to track down buttons that were exactly the right size for the look she wanted.

Slipcover for 2 cushion Club Chair in Linen

2009-12-18T11:59:00.002-05:00

Actually, there seems to be some cotton in this fabric. When cotton is added to a linen, it can add a lot of positive features. You still get the linen look, which is beautiful ...but you also get less wrinkling and less "stretchiness." Most of us know how it is when wearing a linen suit; you have to be careful how you buckle your safety belt in the car so as not to have that big mass of crinkling at your waist.

Adding cotton to a fabric also makes ironing and pressing easier. We washed this fabric before creating the slipcover and there wasn't a wrinkle in site! In fact, this hasn't been pressed at all.

On a side note: The chair is sitting on a device we think is very handy. It is a rolling pneumatic lift that has a plywood platform mounted to the top (you can see the silver handle on the far side.) We can raise and lower a chair to the appropriate height to prevent back strain. What a handy dandy thing this has turned out to be for us! We always love the creative part of what we do, but want to make the actual manufacturing process as smooth and painfree as possible.

Window Treatments Chattanooga

2009-12-09T21:15:00.005-05:00

Doesn't this make you want to grab a novel and your favorite bath salts?

This is a job we finished right before Thanksgiving. It is a home in a beautiful historic area near the University of Tennessee just blocks from downtown Chattanooga. The home was built in 1920 and is just incredibly beautiful. The master bath curtain panels are shown above. They are created in a washed herringbone stripe cotton and are hung from a track on the ceiling. They glide open and closed using long white wands. WASHED is the key word here. The homeowner can take these down (I hope she has a tall ladder) and throw them in the home wash, so there is never a bit of fretting over trying to keep them as clean and bright as they are here.

This talented and pacesetting family began work on this home in the Spring and have met all the challenges of bringing a fine, yet neglected home up to standards for modern use. ...This all while balancing attendance to 2 young children and opening a second, instantly popular Chattanooga restaurant!

One of 3 Master Bedroom Roman Shades

We matched the fabric used in the bath to the master bedroom window treatments. There are 3 large, unlined Roman shades ...and while diffusing the Southern light to a soft glow, they allow privacy from the bustling street side of the house. These are also washable and give a light, airy, spa-like feeing to the room! Later, after the basics are covered in the window covering needs of the house, the couple can add tall drapery panels on iron rods to add a layer of warmth and elegance.

*note: I love the casual "crunch" of the cotton as the shade is drawn up!

More Scallops

2009-12-07T19:33:00.002-05:00

Here's another picture of a scalloped skirt detail. These belong to one of the customers in Alabama I spoke about in one of the last posts. She was gracious enough to send this picture to me of the chairs put in place. I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again, "I love wing chairs!" Just look at these guys. They look so fresh in their washed white slipcovers and sitting side-by-side. If you will notice, the corners are gathered. This makes the math of scalloped skirted slipcovers SO much easier. The slipcover on the wing chair we have at our showroom on Chattanooga's Southside is one of those math marvels that Lori can come up with! It is a totally straight, skirtless style with no gathers at the corners. The scallops had to be dead on perfect mathmatically. A chair is rarely as deep as it is wide, so it is a challenge to come up with scallops that are the appropriate width and number to work out correctly.

We've Moved!

2009-12-04T14:01:00.002-05:00

Well, the dust has finally settled and we are in new digs! Whew! The move was a real feat of strength and endurance but SO worth it. Since we are out with customers as often as we are, it was not working to have our large workroom, office and showroom in the downtown location. Now, we only have the showroom in that area... just around the corner from our old upstairs place. It is inside the Galleries at Southside at 1404 Cowart Street. Being part of this collection of retail stores, the showroom can be open and attended by the staff there....even during the times we are buried under a ton of work, stitching on a hot project, or we are out at a customer's home for consultation or installation.

Its working wonderfully to meet customers at "The Galleries" to receive fabric and/or to chat about a project. I am there and available quite often during the week and customers can phone ahead to set a time to meet ...or to just catch me while they are browsing through some of the great kiosks located at this shopping destination. Also, there is a new lunch spot connected to the Galleries that is turning out to be a HUGE hit called Virginia's Southside Cafe. The regular menu is amazing and there is always something new and delicious on the daily specials.

Furniture to be slipcovered is mostly going to our Red Bank workroom, but occasionally we are receiving pieces at our E.Brainerd shop. But as always, anything that will fit in my little Subaru can travel with me from the downtown area. Our out-of-town customers can call to get directions directly to our workroom with their sofas and large chairs!

Above is a picture of my office door ...which is the entrance to the ORIGINAL Brick Path Studio! (If you every wondered how we got our name....!)

Scalloped Slipcover for Rocker

2009-12-02T14:12:00.007-05:00

This chair is just adorable. It is like it is wearing a tailored summer dress. This belongs to a customer that drives from Alabama to Chattanooga to get her slipcovers done. The fabric is a slightly off-white denim that is fairly heavy in weight. It makes the skirt hang nicely and the buttoned tabs lay so neatly.

She brought us the chair, we consulted on the design, I gave her fabric yardages, and she went shopping locally for the linen. She found it in a great old shop on Dodds Avenue called Associated Fabrics. They have been in business since the dawn of time! It is always an experience to visit….with the creaky old wooden floors and an overwhelming amount of fabric in stock. You can also sit and browse through stacks and stacks of fabric sample books to custom order that special fabric in just the right color. The staff is very knowledgeable and can help you find most anything you need.

When this customer brought the fabric back to us later in the day, we rolled it out, cut it into manageable sized pieces and washed it. It began very smooth and flat, but came out of the dryer all plumped up and slightly rumpled….beautiful! I was so pleased with the comfortable washed look. The customer now has the option of ironing it with a hot iron to get a smoother, pressed look…or to use it the way it is (my favorite!) We give our customers the opportunity to wash their own fabric or to have us wash it. Either way, we like to serge the raw edges of the fabric prior to washing to prevent those THOUSANDS of strings and the raveling that occurs. In fact, the completed slipcover is completely serged on the inside as it is sewn to make it longer lasting.

Boxed Pillows with Pearls!

2009-04-12T13:05:00.000-05:00

These pillows have boxed down-filled forms and are done in an incredible taupe silk that had seed pearls all over it in a random pattern. They were incredibly time consuming to create because the pearls had to be picked out of the seam allowances one at a time before being sewn! As you see, the triplets sit almost like glamorous starfish on this canopied bed.

Silk and Down Custom Bench Cushion Creation

2009-03-17T08:18:00.004-05:00

We created this bench cushion with 25/75 down/feather fill and covered it in this fabulous silk stripe.
If you ever wonder how a project like this happens, here's the basics:
The customer (in this case the interior decorator) called us to make a custom cushion for this bench that sits in the homeowner's entrance hallway. As you can see, the bench is a beautiful thing...just by itself. But this hallway was rather "cold" looking and needed softgoods to give it some warmth. I started by going to the customer's home with a large sheet of butcher paper and traced a pattern that fit the contours of the piece. I also brought with me a couple of pillow forms in different sizes. While I was there, the decorator and I played with the pillow forms to see which ones were suitable to the porportions of the furniture. At the same time, we made the decision as to how thick the bottom cushion was to be. We call this the "boxing height" as this is a boxed cushion style. We also do knife edge cushions for similar chairs and benches (which is just the top & bottom pieces sewn together at the edges) but in this case we added the boxing that we made about 4" or so. When the pattern piece/sketch got back to our shop, Lori altered it to create a "crest" ....this is what makes it "pouf" up on the top and bottom and takes out the flat, boxy look. This crested cushion look doesn't happen because of the type of fill on the inside alone. The pattern pieces are cut to create that luxurious plump appearance.
We immediately got busy sewing the cushion & pillow covers while sending the pattern to our custom down supplier. There they created the cushion "insides" following our pattern & instructions. By the time this down form arrived at our shop, we had all the covers completed! We zippered-on the beautiful silk cover, loaded it in the car with the completed pillows and popped them in place in the entrance to this wonderful home. The whole process took 2-3 weeks!

Monogrammed Slipcover

2009-03-11T08:38:00.003-05:00

This is an incredible project we recently did for a customer moving into a new home. She brought in this fabulous old sacking type fabric. I have no idea where she found such a treasure, but it lookded really old, but in great shape. Also, it was fat, kinda rough, and amazingly textured. She found a co-ordinating fabric in a khaki color to create the outside pattern pieces and the welt cording. We cut the inside back piece and sent it with her to the monogrammer's. This wonderful design is what she came back with. We promptly sewed the slipcover together and sent it to it's new home. Can you believe it...this was actually one of a PAIR. I didn't get a chance to see them in their new home, but I'd love to. They went with a great old Chippendale sofa and the whole design package had that elegant/rough/casual look that is so wonderful.

Old Fashioned Casserole Covers

2009-02-21T15:54:00.002-05:00

This casserole cover is patterned after an original I purchased at Ketner's Mill craft show in Powell's Cross Roads, Tennessee more than 30 years ago! I have loved it over the years and wanted to create a few to sell in the studio, at The Brick Path Mercantile, and on our Etsy site. Lori faithfully duplicated the design and created several in our high-saturation colored twills. You have to see these things to really appreciate the amount of careful and meticulous sewing/assembly that is involved in each one of these gems! No cheap, assembly-line look here! Your grandkids will be using them years from now!
Here is a picture of one with a small casserole dish inside and one laying flat. You can use a variety of dishes with them as you can gather it to suit the shape and size. Notice how the handles kinda "pop" when it's ready to go. Your favoite recipe will arrive piping hot or deliciously chilled to the next covered dish event. Basics like these never go out of style....and of course quality isn't a fad either.
We are selling these for $30 and will be offering them for a limited time (we're not sure HOW long... we're playing it by ear!) They can be charged by phone and mailed if you like.

PS: They're washable 100% cotton and available in a variety of colors!

New Pillows for Spring Shopping!

2009-02-10T23:18:00.003-05:00

We're excited to have available a new pillow style at our Brick Path Mercantile! We call it the Bette-Bo (long "E" and long "O") & it has an oversized fabric bow on the face. They are over-the-top and make a show stopping statement on a bed or a special chair. Several colors are available...here's a couple!

Its in the Details!

2009-01-25T20:18:00.002-05:00

Sometimes we actually do upholstery! The reason we don't do upholstery on a regular basis is that it can really be hard on one's hands. But we LOVE to do pieces like these. It is really all about the details ...and pieces like these twin French benches/stools. The material is an insanely beautiful (and expensive) petit point fabric in a orange tone and black animal design. With the guidance of the owner/designer, we carefully placed the design and then added the perfect antiqued brass nails. A job like this takes more finesse than muscle, so it is right down our alley....very different from "the den sofa" type of upholstery. Other pieces we do include French chairs..those are great with nailhead trim or double welt. Lori has designed a method of creating a very fine and beautiful double welt cording. It needs to have a fairly lightweight, non-bulky fabric. So, sometimes we use a different fabric for this trim from the main fabric on the chair. Lori also is amazing at applying this welt to the chair....she just has a perfect eye and hand for such detail.

"SPA" PILLOWS

2009-01-17T23:40:00.004-05:00

This is a quick picture from our Brick Path Mercantile located around the corner from our studio in the Galleries at Southside. You can see the fluffy white, washable, flanged pillows we call our "spa" pillows. They are incredible to touch and make you say "Ahhhhhh" to snuggle up with. This fabric starts off the roll as a smooth and flat material. When we wash it, it plumps up and becomes very textured with a pretty basketweave design. It makes-up into a pillow that reminds you of clean, crisp & soft spa linens.

To the sides, you can see a pair of black pillows we accented with a grommeted bands.

Buy it Downtown shopping card program

2008-12-09T21:24:00.003-05:00

We are happy to accept the "Buy it Downtown" Card for goods and services!

Buy it* Downtown, the downtown Chattanooga gift and shopping card program, is a network of stores, restaurants and other locations... it is the largest electronically connected network of its kind of locally owned storefront locations in the our area -- possibly the largest in the state of Tennessee. Buy it* Downtown says that of the places where its gift card can be used today, currently most have local ownership.

A quote from the www.buyitdowntown.com website: "A total of 60+ participating locations and approximately 95% of its merchants are not only locally owned but also “Chattanooga enterprises” or locally created businesses. “Our rapid growth has helped us establish a high quality network of popular locations that everyone likes and makes the Buy it* Downtown card a great way to support downtown and also to keep your dollars local,” says Amy Walker Cherry, founder of Buy it* Downtown. “While our primary mission is to support downtown Chattanooga businesses, we are especially pleased that our Buy it* Downtown cards support so many locally owned businesses, since studies show these businesses contribute a higher ratio of their earnings directly back into the local economy. It just so happens that some of the coolest places in Chattanooga today are also locally owned.” Paul Brock, president of RiverCity Company,a partner with the public-private gift card program says, “In Chattanooga, our downtown has an unusually high number of distinct, locally owned establishments—which is one of the reasons why our downtown is so special and unique.” "

Please go to the website and see the list of businesses that participate in this program. You can see how this program truly benefits the local economy.

London Shade for Log Cabin

2008-12-03T23:37:00.002-05:00

This shade is in a guest room in a home on nearby Lookout Mountain. The bedroom is in the original "log house" section that was built in the 1800's. The fabric is a looser weave that lets in plenty of light (whether it is up or down), and allows the guest to lower it for privacy. The natural fiber coupled with the casual weave was a perfect choice for the rustic, yet somewhat elegant home. The designer is the very talented (and client pleasing) Susan Lesourd. Stop by to pick up one of Susan's cards and give her a call. She works on small and large projects alike and can decorate a whole house or just help you choose a sofa.
We always tell Susan that her most amazing talent is in choosing the "main" fabric for a room and that she has an incredible eye for pattern and scale. Her completed interiors always seem to reflect her clients' personalites to the inth degree!

Fitting a slipcover in a client's home!

2008-11-02T21:21:00.002-05:00

Sometimes we actually fit a slipcover to a piece of furniture in the customer's home. This is the case with a customer on nearby Lookout Mountain this week. This small loveseat won't be coming to us in the studio as usual, but I will travel on site to "chalk" a pattern.
There are many reasons we do this, but the most common reason is size and bulk of a piece. If we are slipcovering a large antique sofa that feels like it is made of lead, it is wonderful to be able to leave the piece in place during the process. A couple of reasons might be a lack of transportation available to the customer or an upcoming event for which the furniture must be there. Often it is the fact that the piece is so interwoven with daily life in the house, that they can't do without it for the time it would be fitted and the slipcover assembled.
The cost of this method is a bit more (it can add $100-$150 or more to the overall cost), but to many people the convenience is worth it. The pattern is created during one visit & the fabric is collected and taken back to the studio where the slipcover is cut and assembled. When completed (or nearly so), the slipcover is trekked back to the home and installed on the furniture where the fit is checked. If all fits nicely and the hems and skirts are in place, that is the end and the cover is ready to be put into service! Occasionally, a piece of furniture has a difficult shape and a mid-point fitting must take place…but 2 trips to the home is often enough.
Working in a client’s house once in a while is great fun and a real diversion. I get to meet their dogs, cats and kids …and sometimes slip in a cup of tea with a cookie if offered!

2008-10-27T21:34:00.002-05:00

Cotton Linen slipcover for a 4 cushion sofa
This slipcover is trimmed with a great looking rope cording. In a house full of young children, a slipcover is a great option! The homeowner, a young mom, was thrilled with the transformation of her sofa.

Outdoor Room on Lookout Mountain

2008-09-30T09:17:00.004-05:00

This decorator created a fantastic outdoor room using Sunbrella fabrics on the cushions, pillows and drapes. The space was beautiful before, but now has that cozy feel that fabrics bring to an exterior space. This home is in Lookout Mountain, Georgia and the interiors were fashioned by decorator Carol Lewis Brown. Call us for Carol's contact information! Her decorating services are available from a small color consulation to whole-house decor project management. She works in the Chattanooga area as well as on location projects.

Pillow Pix

2008-09-30T09:10:00.003-05:00

Here's a sample of a pair of pillows we have in the Mercantile for sale! They are natural linen in a khaki color with this great burlap trim. (Of course the fillow form is generous 25/75 down feather fill!) This is an example of the refined paired with something that is gritty and natural. It's a look we've found to be on the upswing in popularity with designers and homeowners.

We've Opened a New Pillow Outlet!

2008-09-17T14:10:00.002-05:00

We've opened an actual store around the corner from our studio location! We're calling it the Brick Path Mercantile and shown above is our logo for it! It is inside The Galleries at Southside and is stocked with lots of great pillows. Most pillows are linen or silk, but there are other fabrics too. The "stuffing" is the 25/75 down/feather we like to use because it's so incredibly lux. They are ready to be plucked up and taken home and are the same quality as most of our custom ordered pillows.

We are also stocking our line of fleur-di-lys napkins sewn right here at the studio. They are a classic elegance that needs to be seen!

For the Christmas shopping season, look for our exclusive spa & home gifts. We have developed a heat able neck and shoulder warmer for tired, achy muscles that you will love--it is especially designed for the man in your life that needs something to use while at the office. It will soothe those sore shoulders & upper back areas without looking like he's ready for a teddy bear and fuzzy slippers! We're also offering napkin & tablecloth sets in classic crisp white cotton blend,... perfect for a dynamic monogram of your choosing. These would make a very special gift--they'll be using them for years to come!

Chairs in Fancy Dress Clothes

2008-09-04T11:22:00.004-05:00

These beauties look like ladies dressed up for an afternoon tea on the lawn. Large picture hats and white gloves would complete the ensemble! The fabric is a heavy-bodied linen.

These were designed by Carol Brown of Carol Brown Interiors. She has a fabulous eye for porportion and color impact.

Slipcover with button detail

2008-08-20T12:16:00.002-05:00

Dressmaker details are what we love to add to slipcovers!

Roman Shade details

2008-08-20T11:53:00.002-05:00

These shades were made with a special blackout lining/interlining because they are in a home on the side Missionary Ridge here in Chattanooga. This location gets a huge amount of afternoon sun. The view of downtown Chattanooga is spectacular from this dining room, ...but sometimes the sun is so intense, the window treatments needs to be able to close. Roman shades were perfect here. The windows are tall & narrrow and the shade can be drawn to any height that suits the homeowners needs!

Gossamer Roman Shades

2008-07-08T22:37:00.003-05:00

Spring 2008 installation of unlined Roman shades in an arts and crafts style home... fabulous!

Slipcovers for French Chairs

2008-01-13T13:08:00.000-05:00

Here's two French chairs recently created and sent off to Columbus, Georgia to a beautiful farm/estate. The house, that sits on many acres, is elegantly rustic with huge hewn beams and stone floors. These French country dining seats, of which there are 2 arm chairs and 8 side chairs, have rush seats. We created the shaped cushions with foam inserts and placed jaunty scalloped skirts on the welted perimeter. They are tailored and fitted to the max with simple closures and done in an embroidered check. If you look closely, you can see the embroidered leaf inside a check. These took many hours to create and consist of lots of pattern pieces. The effect is sublime. The designer, Carol Brown of Lookout Mountain has such an eye for proportion as well as the subtleties of color.
This week, it is on to other challenging projects...we have 2 wing chairs, 1 ottoman, 1 sofa, 1 loveseat, and 2 club chairs coming in to be slipcovered!

It's all about the details!

2008-01-07T22:29:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of some pillows Lori recently created. As you can see, they have down/feather inserts that make them "karate chop" so well. It is a 25%down/75%feather blend...very nice! The great little flange is pleated on the corners for a little bit of pizazz and interest. The designer chose this updated traditional print for it's eyecatching boldness.

2 layer window treatment panels

2008-01-05T21:59:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of our most recent window treatment installation mentioned in the previous post. The rest of the room is not completed yet, or I'd include the bedding and pillows that go with this project. The underlayer is a silk rod pocket drape with "English Bump" interlining. It is more like a blanket than anything! The front drapes are an English style chintz, also with an interlining of English bump. English bump is an interlining often used originally in Europe for it's heavy insulating properties. Now, it is most often used for the heavy, over-the-top elegance. If you can look closely, the pleats are actually a petite, lady-like goblet shape!

The Latest for 2008

2008-01-04T08:14:00.000-05:00

Well, its a new year for The Brick Path Studio. It was a rather busy holiday season, but we were able to get a bit of rest after Christmas deadlines were met. We're now fresh and ready for the next "wave" of slipcovers, bedding and window treatments.
We are now completing a bedroom project that includes heavy 2 layered drapes in a Scalamandre' floral & dotted Travers silk.....Wow!
This project belongs to a high energy, adorable lady on nearby Lookout Mountain with 3 children in various stages of being grown. It seems she is rewarding herself for all the hard work of mothering a busy household and creating herself a private getway with luxurious fabrics, stacks of deep fluffy pillows and an amazing detailed bedspread. This bedspread has a unique feature of a box pleated flange (created from the floral print fabric we're using) with a purchased rope trim. A thick brush fringe has been applied to the pillows to coordinate with the silk with large embroidered dots...(adding a bit of levity.)
Attention to detail is what is this project is all about! The designer involved is a former Lookout Mountain resident that is currently living on Hilton Head Island, Jan Shoffner. She has an amazing eye and really knows how to address the dreams of her clients. This room is truly going to be a lush retreat. I'll be posting pictures as soon as the bedspread is complete.

Flying away on a wing...chair

2007-05-28T12:42:00.000-05:00

Well, we thought the Spring rush would be peaking by now, but its not the case. We've had a "flock" of wingback chairs decend upon us and they all need slipcovers!

We've had up to 3 wingback chairs at a time, but never 5...and there's one more on the way! These are from a historic Greek Revival home and they need to remain in their original condition - so reupholstering is out of the question. In fact, that is one of my favorite uses of slipcovers; when you need or want to perserve the original upholstery yet change the look for current use. At present, these "elderly gentleman" are sporting an interesting array of old fabrics on them and when you poke around on the upholstery, you can hear the crunch of horsehair and straw.

To start this project we will be using purchased mattlesse coverlets as slipcover fabric and the scalloped edging will be employed as skirt hems. This customer is very inventive and has decided to use a second richly-colored fabric for an underskirt that will peek out about 6 inches. She's great fun to work with and really has a fresh eye.

This run on wingback chairs reminds me of the run we had recently on Chippendale sofas! We turned about 5 dusty & stuffy old sofas into soft, friendly and beautifully inviting showpieces. I see amazing before & after comparison photos coming up! Check back in a couple of weeks and I'll have some pictures of our "wing-men" wearing their new suits!

Silk Drapery

2007-02-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

We had a great installation this morning at the home on Lookout Mountain. It went off without a hitch. No matter how many jobs you have under your belt...the installation can be nerve blistering! You want everything to go just right for the homeowner. The client excused herself for a day of shopping so she could come home to a completely magical transformation of her bedroom.

I'm including a picture of the window treatments (creme colored embroidered silk), rods & finials (pearl white with raised gold carving), the Chippendale settee (Belgian Linen) and the rectangular bolster pillow (red/gold/green stripe heavy silk.) Let me know what you think!

2007-02-26T21:16:00.000-05:00

The latest goings on in the shop....well, the main thing is that we are getting ready to launch our web site! We have assembled a few pictures, a few facts...and we're ready to go! We will have a link to this blog so we can update everyone with the lastest pictures of our work.

Along with many smaller projects, we've just completed a couple of fun (and somewhat large) jobs. Here's a bit of the details from those:
#1: Bedroom pieces for a large home on nearby Lookout Mountain. Working for a local designer, we have created boxed silk pillows, silk tab top (lined & interlined) curtain panels, and a canopy insert for a testor bed. The fabrics are crazy beautiful. There were also some upholstered items done in a putty colored heavy Belgian linen. (We do a small amount of reupholstery like French chairs and such.) There is a wonderful Chippendale love seat that we created a long boxed bolster cushion for with a down/feather insert. The fabric was a knock-dead gorgeous silk stripe...looked perfect on the putty-colored linen.
#2: Another job involved items for a new home in Columbus, Georgia. They were extra long curtain panels (126" long!) They are pinch pleated and very full. They, along with the matching gathered dust ruffle, are in a large scale blue & green plaid silk. One set of 4 window panels for the guest room were interlined with English Bump...that is extra heavy felt-like interlining that goes between the face fabric and the lining...it makes it heavy and luxuriously thick. We also did a couple of bedside table drapes with contrasting fabric in the corner pleats for that room. We hope to wrangle a visit to that home soon...we hear it has an authentic cobblestone driveway!

I feel like we're about to work ourselves crazy, but we love it. The details involved in working on so many jobs at once can be overwhelming at times...if one detail is missed, it can spell disaster! The little shop is buzzing with machines sewing, scissors cutting, designs being hashed out, and people visiting & chatting while drinking steeming cups of hot tea. We always find time to work in a little conversation...that's what makes it all worth while!

On owning a Soft Home Décor Business

2007-01-11T00:18:00.000-05:00

You might say I like to make things! All my life I've struggled to define what it is I like to do...never could quite pin it down. One day it hit me: I like to make things. Simple as that.

In my current business, which I started from scratch in 2000, we do just that. The business has grown from just myself, to a group of 5 talented people creating and working in a fantastic environment. With an array of specialty machines, tools, tables, and supplies, we create custom soft home decor. The Brick Path Studio repertoire includes window treatments, slipcovers (dresses for chairs), bedding, decorator pillows, table drapes/cloths, and just about anything made from fabric for home decor and comfort. We dream up beautiful and outlandish things ourselves as well as bring into reality the brainchildren of our clients.

Ever notice the incredible things in a shelter magazine's photo shoot? ...and say to yourself, "Look at that! Where in the world would they get those drapes, those sublime pillows, that duvet cover, those perfectly fitted and detailed slipcovers? Where would they get a gorgeous, lined, opulent canopy treatment for that bed?? " (NO! You don't see them ready-made in the department stores!) Well, THAT'S the kind of things we create...every day...and it's truly exciting!

To beat all, we are able to do this from upstairs in an old circa 1910 warehouse building in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. From our city block of art and specialty boutiques, we look out our atelier windows to see the sign of the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, Restaurant and train station. Weather permitting, we open these huge warehouse windows and smell the mouth-watering gourmet restaurant next door and maybe wave hello to the local sculptor from two buildings down. A couple of times per day he or his friends walk his giant poodle in and out of the street lamps and the specimen trees. (The streetlights down Williams Street are as perfectly planted as the trees.) The clop-clop of the horses pulling sightseers in carriages towards the waterfront area begins ringing in the late afternoons. We can take a break if our shoulders ache and head down our long narrow staircase to chat with the ladies in the antiques store below and see what’s “new” in their adorable shop that’s filled with American and English furniture. It is a plethora of exciting sights and sounds! All this is ours while doing what we love and know. How great is that?