Dana Roth is the first to admit that she can't sew. "Oh, lord! In a pinch I can sew a straight line. But no, I'm not a seamstress," Dana says. "I have my mother's 1920's white sewing machine that doesn't do anything but go up and down -- when it wants to." She has actually sewn fingers together on more than one occasion, but continues undaunted despite mishaps. The secret of Dana's success lies not in the sewing, but in her unique ability to frame the fabrics with trims to create gorgeous pillows.
"I had a few wonderful pieces that I had inherited, and I thought what better way to display them," explains Dana, who has filled her house with her finished projects. "I had seen mass-market pillows being imported with heavy bead and trim work, and thought I can do this." The hardest part of creating a pillow is finding material to match the antique fabrics. Dana can spend hours just sorting through bins of trims (figure A) and beadwork looking for just the right things. "And, it really is something you have to do yourself," Dana says. "The longest art of the process is putting all the fabrics together, but it is also the most exciting. And trust me, I don't get it right on the first try. In fact, I'll have nine 'wrongs' for one 'right'!" These days, Dana can be found at flea markets on the lookout for antique fabrics. "They are not inexpensive when you do find them, and the trim work can push the cost of a pillow into the hundreds of dollars." She may add as many as 10 different layers of beads and trim to the edge of a pillow before she feels it's right. Choosing the material for the back of the pillows is also part of the creative process. "You need to take the material with you when you head for the fabric stores. It can be frustrating effort, but when you find it, well that's half the fun right there. Her advice is to start with materials that you already have, and experiment. "Do what's right for you," Dana explains. "You'll know instinctively what works. Look, I can't sew and I love doing this, so anyone can do this themselves if they try."
| 
)
)
)
)
