Where there is a will...

I was recently in our Rockville store, and one of the associates asked me to help them with an "impossible" situation.  The story is as follows:  Ms. X's mother made beautiful window treatments in her daughter's house.  Ms. X put her house on the market and a buyer conditionally offered that she would buy the home if the treatments conveyed (I told you they were beautiful).  Some time after Ms. X's mother passed away.  Stricken with grief Ms. X remembered the treatments that her mother had made and felt that getting them back was imperative.  Contacting the home buyer she learned that she could only have them back if she replaced them with the exact same thing.

As many of you probably know (I know I've learned this the hard way more than once) fabric is usually only produced for a few years in any given pattern.  Ms. X went to G Street and asked one of our sales people for help.  The sales person asked me. About a year ago I had a client who really, really, REALLY wanted a Stroheim and Romann fabric (http://www.stroheim.com/).  The fabric pictured below is called Osborne Washed Chenille.

The strike-off of Osborne Washed Chenille in Claret

  Well not only was the fabric discontinued two years prior, but Stroheim and Romann was purchased by Fabricut (http://www.fabricut.com/).  Did I mention she REALLY wanted it?  Judy my fabulous Fabricut rep was able to visually identify the color as being the same as one used by a pattern in Vervain (http://www.vervain.com/), calling the mill they said they still had a bit of the thead and could make a strike off (shown above - p.s. the color is not true).  Below are a front and back picture of her completed sofa.

So, is it impossible?  No.  Will it take time? Yes.  The average time to get a bolt of heavy fabric manufactured is about 12 weeks (velvet, chenille, most upholstery stuff).  With shipping and the credit crunch 16 weeks is not uncommon.  Normally I would say that drapery weight stuff would take closer to 6-10 weeks, but strikes, customers, and the shifting global weather patterns are making a BIG impact on silk and cotton.  Higher prices and longer waits are quickly approaching.  With that being said, better to start early.

P.S.  Click on the pictures most of them should get MUCH larger.