Have you ever walked into a store and seen something that takes your breath away?  This happened to me last year at this time.  The husband and I were in Charleston SC wandering King St and we needed a “safe bathroom break”.  You didn’t need to know that but hey nature calls!  We walked in the door and on the bed was this show stopper of a quilt.  To say I was in love was an understatement.  But it’s red, bold red.  I don’t do bold red ever.  This is an appliqué quilt with Christmas trees and deer and cardinals and just all kinds of nordic goodness.  But it’s red, really red. 

Of course I didn’t purchase it but I spent all last fall thinking about this quilt.  I would go into our local PB and pet it.  I would try to imagine it in my room.  Knowing I was going to be redoing the bedroom in January I couldn’t get the darn thing out of my mind.  Keep in mind the everyday bedroom has absolutely nothing to do with red, nordic, or anything else!  I didn’t want it for every day but thought it would be so fun to switch up for the holiday.  

I’ve never made that splurge.

I started haunting the website and watching it come down in price.  Saying to myself if it comes down to 129.00 I’ll pop for it.  I can always make my own shams to go with it.  Long about February it did.  Meant to be and my local PB had one left.  Drastically reduced it was a final sale.  That was fine with me because I was sure I could make it work.  I gave it one last pet and put it into storage.  Never throwing it on the bed because I was still in the throws of the bedroom reno.

Fast forward to yesterday.  I have thought about this all this time and knowing the dust ruffle wasn’t going to work I knew I was going to have to make some magic there.  Oh and the drapes need to be changed.  Well that’s ok because the drapes are kind of bugging me with my black and white quilt anyway.  But for now, let’s just start with the shams.  With quilt in hand I set out to all the local fabric stores which are few and far between.  Looking not only for the perfect red but just some inspiration.  I found a couple of possibilities is all.  I came home and threw it on the bed for the first time and my first response was Oh my gosh what have I done!!!

I left it on the bed giving it a visit because sometimes you just need stuff to settle in.  I took it off the bed last night and woke up this morning and said to myself ok you’ve goofed.  Cut your losses and sell this quilt.  Besides being red it is exuberant and very busy for my small bedroom.  The black/white plates over the bed absolutely do not work and my yacht prints just don’t feel right.  So to accommodate this one quilt everything will have to change in this room just to make this wonderful quilt work for the Christmas Season.

Not wanting to give up, I put it on the bed yet again and removed the black/white shams.  Now I’m just left with vintage cut work pillow cases.  Ok that’s better.  No Clara pillow shams would need to be purchased because it will just make the room that much more in your face.  Keep it simple.

I tacked some white linen around the bed for a dustruffle hoping that would tone everything down.  But no, no luck.  After leaving the quilt on the bed for the entire day I decided no I can’t make this work.

I am disappointed because I so wanted to design a room around this fabulous quilt but unfortunately it can’t be for me.  Even as designers with all our knowledge and fool proof tricks we still make mistakes.  

The moral of this tale?  Even though its wonderful and you want it sooo bad sometimes you should listen to the voice in the back of your head that says “this is so great but it is not meant for you”.

So if any of you are interested in this gorgeous brand new quilt it is Queen size and fits a deep mattress.  The Clara shams are still available thru PB.  Just send me a message.

Thanks for stopping

Shelley