Arabella’s Fabric Décor 2019-2020

Curtains and Pillows Projects

October 20, 2019, Page 3

The first project of Arabella’s appears at age 18 in late 2019. A project where I sewed on a solid topper to a pair of curtains that I had in my room for many years after finishing them. Then, beaded the topper with things that were old and new. I still have some in my current bead box over five years later. They were of sheer material and cast a beautiful diffuse light through the windows in my room. It was a drastic shift from blackout curtains that was a significant part of an overall lifestyle change culminating in the beautifying of my personal space.

I was very pleased with the outcome of my craftsmanship. It was a simple but powerful project that gave me a feeling of control over the rest of the room. I was able to create very cohesive color palette and layout which was everchanging though I will always remember when it was in its most perfect state, which was months, maybe years later. Burned in my mind is a glorious day set in a beautiful, functional room of my creation. It seems like a fantasy as I write from this garage in south Austin. These curtains would get sucked into the void during renovation and chaos in my parents’ house soon after I left home a few years ago. The last place I saw them was another house entirely over a year ago now. I wonder what has become of them, these things that used to bring me the light of every morning during a golden period of life.

Then, pillows came beginning on October 25, 2019. Pillows of all shapes and sizes, and mostly made of supplies, scraps, and remnants which mostly came from my mother’s accumulation of fabric over many years. I used a t-shirt for one of the hearts, though it was too elastic to be doing that.

I used various techniques and decorative elements such as buttons at the center of the circular piece and pleats on the heart borders. I was also very proud of this outcome and remember it in the warm light of my desk lamp in a nostalgic vision. My bed matched and shared pillows with the beanbag whose earthy green color complimented the pillows and bedspread well. The blanket on top of my bed was faux fur which ultimately I decided was gross and cumbersome to wash, though it was soft. The textures were varied and did not conflict with each other.

I used them for several years; they were retired as my space changed to accommodate another person in 2022. When I was reflecting on these pillow scraps in 2024 I wrote “There was a period when I was decorating my room and outfitting it will pillows and curtains. I made various shaped pillows that I would set up in layers on my bed. My favorites were some little heart shaped ones that would frame the front center piece. It made every day feel magical. I cut one of them to fix my boyfriend’s jacket that meant a lot to him. The heart shaped scrap symbolizes my broken heart now.”

Two notable pillows are on page 5. November, I made a long topper pillow which was made of faux green fur. I write "It is so cold, I'm wearing gloves". On the back is a rather complicated star design which I can’t remember how I ended up constructing. I did make it, but I don’t know if I did panels or two big pieces.

In 2020, we were sent on spring break under the idea that two weeks would stop the spread of the corona virus, and life would remain the same. I guess it seemed prudent to make my room nicer since I would be in there for a while. This is a project that was never completed. It was only a dream that I can still see clearly, every day I superimposed fanciful decorations upon my world. Not everything would come to life.