In Material World, Fabric Makes Cut

New home furnishings fabrics can be a source of moderately priced and unusual wall decor as well as the nucleus of an interesting fabric collection, says Milton Sonday, textile curator of the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York.

Old fabrics, such as patchwork quilts, paisley scarves and samplers, are often too expensive and too fragile to display.

“It is perfectly all right to hang a panel of new fabric on the wall,” Sonday says. “Retire a panel for a while after a few months and hang something else up.”

Look for designer fabrics that appeal because of their color and pattern, he advises. Keep a record of the date of purchase, maker, designer and material.

Mount the panel, about a yard square or whatever size fits the pattern, on a stretcher the same way you would a canvas.