Blank sets of canvas placemats have been available online for awhile and now we’re adding blank canvas table runners. These are 12″ X 36″ and are available in #8 or #4 and as plain rectangles or as oblong octagons.

Plain, 12″ X 36″: Number 8 is $15; Number 4 is $18

Octagon, 12″ X 36 “: Number 8 is $18; Number 4 is $24

 To order click here.

I get a lot of inquiries about how to make the edges of floorcoths lie flat. Usually, people run into problems after they have finished the piece and put it on the floor. Unfortunately, by then it’s really too late to fix the problem. My first question when someone calls to ask about this problem is, “What weight of canvas are you using?” Most of the time they don’t know, because they bought their canvas at an art supply store or online and the canvas weight wasn’t provided, or they didn’t take note of it. Fredrix (TM) makes a “floorcloth canvas” which is called “heavyweight”. It is 12 oz. I use no canvas lighter than 18 ounces (50% heavier) and for large projects I use double their weight- 24 ounces! Read the rest of this entry »

When a museum recently asked me if a compass floor cloth was appropriate for a 1760s period home in Maryland, I did a little research and came up with this from the  British Museum, Sir Ambrose Heal Collection:

This is an advertisement from England, dated around 1760. Perfect! Read the rest of this entry »

Here it is: a new year, a new outlook on everything. This is a chance to start fresh and clean!

I have this bare spot in my dining room which desparately needs a floorcloth. The wide-board floors beneath the table have been painted in various colors throughout the 150 years they’ve been there, and they look really sad. I’ve put a couple of different floorcloths in that spot, but customers come, see the floorcloth in its place, and offer to buy it and there I am, yet again staring at those bare, ratty floorboards!

So I thought this might be a good project to bring my blog readers along through. I’ll post my design ideas for this space and show you how I work through that whole decision-making process. Then (when time allows) I’ll show you the various steps of making this piece. The posts will be open to discussion, so you can all have some input in my dining room floorcloth!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are as eager as I am to see 2009 become the best year it can be!