Three Sheets 2 the Wind Blog

I’ve just posted photos of the new full coverage patterns on flickr.

The past few months have been very exciting for me in the studio. My goal, beginning this past winter, was to create patterns that covered more of the fabric ground and went edge to edge (the width) of my linen yardage. It took a bit of work and research to figure out how to print full coverage prints by myself. You might wonder why this is difficult. Well… it all has to do with the size of the screens (more or less a stencil) used for printing. Most full coverage prints are hand screened using two people. The length of the screen covers the width of the fabric (58″-60″) and a person stands on each side of the table, passing the squeegee and ink back and forth in one pass and the repeat only has match up on two sides. What I wanted to do was to be able to print full coverage prints by myself so I designed the patterns to fit in screens that only spanned half the table width. By doing this I could print a full repeat by alternating down each side of the table myself. The difficult part was designing patterns, for the screens, that had to match up on four sides, instead of two.

The pillows in the image above show the three new full coverage prints on white linen. The patterns are from left to right: ani windflower, fugi floral and prairie grass. All three patterns are available in six different color combinations. The pillows in the image below show another color option on pebble colored linen.

Here’s an image of the new 16 ft printing table that my business partner/ husband built for me in the studio. What you can’t see in this photo is the metal rails that run down the length of the table and hold my new large screens in place so that I can print full coverage prints by myself. I had just printed a duvet on this day so the rails were unscrewed and place underneath the table. As you can see, the studio space is still not finished yet. Cross your fingers… this will happen soon!

The pillow from Urban Outfitters showed up in another Design*Sponge Sneak Peak in December. This time is was in the beautiful home of Elanor Grosch. You can check out the entire post here.

You can see my previous home in Cincinnati in a Sneak Peak from 2008. I lived in a very old apartment building which had a ton of character and charm. My new home is brand new so it’s completely different than anything I’ve ever experienced. It will take some time to fill the space and make it truly ours.

This holiday season, three sheets 2 the wind participated in Apartment Therapy’s 2009 Holiday Giveaway through Design Public. The lucky winner was chosen December 21st. Carrie H. from Las Vegas, Nevada won two pillows of her choice. Congrats Carrie!

A friend of mine, Beth Porter, noticed a familiar design while flipping through Design Sponge’s Sneak Peak today of Betsy Maddox’s home in Chicago. The pillows sitting on the couch in the living room are three sheets 2 the wind designs, sold at Urban Outfitters. Beth knew the line pretty well because she helped me print orders for a year or so while finishing up her degree in fashion design at the University of Cincinnati where I teach.

I licensed the artwork to Urban Outfitters two years ago, but I never got to see them in the store. Seeing them sit in such a beautiful space makes up for not seeing them in the store!

One of our pillows was product of the day on September 1st this month. I’m a huge fan of the magazine so it was a nice compliment. Thanks dwell for the posting!

http://www.dwell.com/products/plant-forms-pillow.html

The new line is finished. I had wanted to finish everything back in March, but the creative part took longer than expected. (shocking) Anyhow, it seemed appropriate to do a major refresh of the collection this year. I skipped the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) this winter to stay at home (in the studio) and make new work. It felt really good… maybe even therapeutic. Sometimes with production being at the forefront of a business, stepping back and doing what you love first, is hard to make time for. There were a few times that I felt totally lost in the process, but that’s part of creating too. The only thing you can do is walk away and come back when it’s ready to be done.

Someone recently sent me this link on TED. I found it to be really interesting… and i think it pertains to all creative people, not just writers.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

Jenny

Striving for better quality!
I am SO excited to announce that I have upgraded the linen quality here in the studio! I made the jump and switched to Irish Linen as of last month. The fabric weight is slightly heavier, but the hand feel is softer and the weave is finer and smoother. It’s amazing!

The transition over to the new quality will happen in two stages. I am currently using the new quality in every color except - marigold, twig and russet. These colors will be available until the end of the year and then I will be switching over to a new color palette for 2009.

Organic linen options are now available.
The studio is stocked with white and natural organic linen. Any styles ordered online in white or pebble linen can be switched over to an organic option. Please email me at jenny@threesheets2.com and I will change your order to organic!

Bags are back
It’s the 4th year anniversary of three sheets 2 the wind this fall season and I wanted to celebrate by bringing back the linen bags. They make a great gift for the holidays.

One yard of fabric for the D.I.Y. types
Finally… an idea for those of you who like to do it yourself! I’ve added hand printed fabric in “one yard” pieces to the website so that you can use it for your own home projects. The 36” x 59” piece can be stretched and stapled to wood stretchers or a canvas frame bought at your local art store.

Deadline for a holiday order is December 1st
December 1st is the deadline for holiday orders. Any orders received by this date will be shipped the week of the 15th.

Happy Fall Everybody!
Jenny