Christmas Cheer
It’s a little too warm to really feel like Christmas, but I am starting to decorate a little.
One of my favorite decorations is this vintage fabric. I don’t normally decorate with gold, but during the Christmas season it seems appropriate. I bought this at an antique store probably 20 years ago. The store owner told me that it was a piece of French drapery material from the 1920s. He said it was silk, but the thick lumpy yarn seems like an extravagant use of silk to me – I would think it could be rayon instead.
I just love the strong contrasts in this fabric – the traditional design worked in the unusual slubby yarn, and the thick dull red yarn contrasted with the thin shiny golden thread.
I have often used this fabric for a tree skirt, but it also looks great on a table. Here I have added some little winter candle-holders that were my grandmother’s, and an arrangement of greenery from the yard.

The greenery is from loblolly pine, Eastern red cedar, live oak, and grapevine. The red-berried plant is yaupon.
I am still having lots of trouble with my pictures not auto-fitting to the blog. I never had that problem before this latest “improvement” to the media upload process. Maybe Santa will fix it for Christmas!
This looks stunning, traditional and festive. I agree, more like rayon than silk, but does it matter… it is a beautiful fabric.
Have a wonderful Festive Season and thank you for your inspiring posts.
Thank you so much for the kind comment.
I do love that fabric – antique dealers always seem a little befuddled when I ignore their lovely displays of silver and china, and ask to purchase the old scrap of fabric underneath them instead!
How beautiful and the simplicity makes it also so restful.
I think there is so much going on in the swirls of the fabric, that you can’t really pair too much else with it!
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