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 As you all know by now I am posting my experience in pulling a room together for the Camden Garden Club Decorator Showhouse.  Originally, I thought it would be fun to educate everyone on how not to be intimidated by an interior designer by walking you through the paces of how great design comes about. It's all about the process and my relationship with the client.  In this instance their is no client but, rather, a few of them.  Swans Island Blankets, Alfred's Upholstery, Tim Van Campen, Edith Caldwell, the gallery, Sarah Szwajkos Photography and the whole event is sponsored by Maine Home + Design.  It's a tall order to please everyone but, with such a great crew it has been a pleasure.  Not to mention that we are all being very green.

On my most recent trip to Swans Island Blankets in Lincolnville, Maine, I got the real treat of seeing the fabric they are looming for me in progress.  The color is to dye for, literally, and what a thrill.  Of course I never had any doubt that Bill Laurita of Swans would knock it out of the park, but, really, HOME RUN for Bill!  And look at Tim's rug, another home run!  Please scroll through the process.

The yarn skein just after dying and drying.  And, yes, to answer your question, all the girls at Swans are  wonderful.

Ready to start weaving, look how smooth the yarns look now.

Out of the bucket and through the cone then onto the loom for weaving.

 Quite a bit goes into this and I am told that to produce 8 yards of fabric takes about 25 hours and that's just the looming, not including the dying process.  For the more discriminating client who needs a color that no one can match, this is the answer.  It's custom all the way from color to the type of weave you like.

The lovely Erin at the loom weaving away.  Erin, this is for you, keep up the good work!!

There we are.  The actual fabric in the making from the dying process to the loom and next will be the application of the fabric onto the fabulous furniture that Troy at Alfred's Upholstery is waiting for.

Not all jobs are this involved.  This happens to be more so because all of us have come together to provide a true design experience for the Decorator Showhouse from an organic point of view for the Chatfield Design room.  All of what we are putting into this project is as Green as possible.  The yarns from Swans Island are organically dyed and are a renewable resource. The furniture frames are not made from pressboard or any other products that give off chemical vapors.  The other fabrics involved are 100% cotton, also a renewable resource.  The rug is of 100% wool content, also renewable, and the art, well, we all know that's renewable and plentiful.  Oh, and Sarah, my fabulous photographer, is completely digital...no chemicals there.  Me, Chatfield Design, I try to be as green as possible...I even have a windmill in my front yard.  I'm not so sure we are all completely compliant with LEED...I will save that for my next installment.  Go team!!