Toile Part 2

It's so nice to see so many people out there enjoy toile as much as I do. My pal Lorelei requested some "subversive" toiles and another reader (thanks Emily!) suggested Groovy Q.

While I've seen (and giggled at) their dirty Tom of Finland sheets, I had never seen Sheila Bridges "Suburban Toile". Such a cool take on the usual pastoral toile scenes.

There's also Richard Saja of Historically Inaccurate Decorative Arts. Saja takes old toile patterns and makes them new with colorful and often very funny hand embroidery. I have embroidered over toile patterns before with really cool results. Of course, if you are going to be "inspired" by Saja's work, it is best to make something only for yourself and not try to sell it. No copycats are allowed around here!
Personally, I still stand by the idea that an entire room of toile is pretty subversive in it's obsessiveness. Though toile is a fabric of the upper-crust, a whole room of toile is almost bordering on bad taste. That, of course, is why I like it so much.