Got you covered
Alabama’s Mary Catherine Folmar is known for her custom textiles, often described as fresh, bold and chinoiserie chic.
Founder and background: An Alabama native, Folmar graduated from Auburn University's College of Architecture Design & Construction with a degree in industrial design. She interned for Johnson & Johnson in packaging and product design and then worked for Sky Design in Atlanta as an environmental graphic designer, where she became interested in designing her own wall covering.
The company: Cotton + Quill, founded in 2012, is based in Birmingham, where Folmar designs her custom fabrics and wall coverings.
Main goods: Fabric by the yard, wallpaper, trim and custom soft goods, including pillows, drapes and bedding.
What's popular: Probably the Shishi pattern (better known as the foo dogs), which ranges from $117 to $137 per yard. Pillows in the pattern start at $180. Also the Koi pattern, a chinoiserie-style design, available both in fabric and metallic grass cloth.
Other favorites: The Copacabana collection, which features bold tropical prints. Also the Elsie pattern, featuring a variety of whippets, and the collaboration with Savannah's Emily McCarthy on a bold and playful Spot Cheetah print.
Fun request: Asked to design bags for the Country Living Fairs in 2015.
Where to buy: In Atlanta, at Steve McKenzie's, 999 Brady Ave. (stevemckenzies.com). In Alabama, at the company's new flagship store in Mountain Brook. For information, visit www.cottonandquill.com.
Lux linens
In North Carolina, the Oriole Mill produces heirloom-quality fabrics and bedding in natural fibers that will make you want to stay in bed.
The company: The Oriole Mill, a design studio and textile mill, was founded in 2006 in Hendersonville in a building most remembered as a former frozen vegetable packaging plant.
The owners and background: Stephan Michelson came to the textile industry with a Ph.D. in economics and work in a statistical consulting firm. Bethanne Knudson has worked in the textile industry since 1996. She is the designer and creative director for the Oriole Mill.
Main goods: Bedding, including coverlets, duvets, shams, bolsters and decorative pillows.
What's popular: The fully reversible classic matelassé collection, made of cotton and wool. Coverlets start at $1,000, shams at $190.
Other favorites: The English sonnet collection is an exquisite example of Jacquard woven cloth. Coverlets start at $1,200, shams at $240.
Claim to fame: Everything the company creates is designed, woven, cut and sewn in Hendersonville, where it shares workspace with Western Carolina Sewing Co., its partner in every sewn product.
What's next: The Top of the Table Collection (this summer) includes tablecloths, runners, placemats and napkins, featuring the company's original Jacquard and dobby patterns. In the fall, look for the new wearable collection of scarves and shawls.
Where to buy: www.theoriolemill.com
Sideshow art
From the bayou to voodoo, Molly McGuire finds more than enough inspiration in New Orleans for her colorful and surreal circus banners.
The artist and background: McGuire, a classically trained sign painter, attended George Brown Tech in Toronto for a two-year course. In New Orleans, the artist works under the name Magwire Art, founded in 2012.
Main goods: Used canvas dropcloths and old house paint that McGuire tints herself.
What's popular: Banners featuring a variety of Louisiana-based characters, such as "Devil Girl of the Bayou," The Living Voodoo Doll," "Swamp Queen," "Alligator Man," "King Crawdaddy," "Marie Laveau," "Pelican Man," "King Cake Baby" and "Allen Toussaint." Additional subjects include Jazz the Devil's Music and Alligator Po-boy.
Size and price: Standard circus banners are 48 inches by 60 inches. Banners, which can be vertical or horizontal depending on the layout, are $3,500. McGuire creates smaller banners on commission and for the popular New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Jazz Fest).
Claim to fame: Made circus banners for the TV show "American Horror Story: Freakshow" (season four). Also, accepted for the fourth time as a vendor in the 2016 Jazz Fest.
Where to buy: www.magwireart.com. In New Orleans at Tresor Gallery, 811 Royal St. (tresorgallery.com) in the French Quarter. Also at the second weekend of Jazz Fest: April 28-30 and May 1.
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