It was great fun to read “Bordering on Genius” in the Wall Street Journal.
Courtney Barnes, who writes the StyleCourt blog talks about her love of
“fabrics with frames” and she speaks with several textile designers about why and how they use borders in their fabrics.
One of the beautiful things about many Indonesian batiks is that they incorporate a border pattern in the fabric. It plays out in a number of different ways: Sometimes the border runs along one side only, and sometimes there is a border around the whole piece of fabric or sarong. Sometimes there is a border on either end, and sometimes it is different from the side borders. Because many of the batiks are designed to be worn, the pattern works as part of, or has meaning with respect to, the dress. The borders are intricate and beautiful in their own right, which adds to the pleasure of looking closely at the whole cloth.
When the batiks are used as tabletoppers, the borders give a finished look to the set table; when they are used as wall panels, one has the choice of featuring the border at the top or the bottom of the panel; and for pillows, you can incorporate the border or choose not to use it at all!
