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Discover. Stitch.

Examples of stitching, patching, and layering are mending techniques that can be found throughout the history of textiles. The “Stitch” Collection takes inspiration from the tradition of repairing and renewal. This assortment of healthcare centric upholstery patterns celebrates the resilience and restorative qualities of the human spirit. Each of Noonan’s designs was inspired by an original textile artifact. The patterns are characterized by the use of linear elements (connection), texture (touch), and textile heritage (history). The collection consists of six seating fabrics: Darning, Crazy Quilt, Kantha, Saori and Boro; along with two privacy curtain fabrics: Embellish and Friendship Quilt. The upholstery fabric items will feature Crypton’s fluorine-free performance option C- Zero Plus. Proceeds from sales as a result of the collaboration will be donated to the Common Thread for the Cure Foundation’s Helping Hand Grants program to support those persons or their families within our industry who have breast cancer. Our Stitch Collection was a finalist in the HiP Awards for NeoCon 2017.
Boro refers to the “patched and mended fabrics” that were sewn from rags and patches of indigo-dyed cotton into clothing and mlily pillow  covers by Japanese peasants during the 19th and early 20th century. Each garment would last long enough to be passed down through generations. Our interpretation of Japanese boro features an intricate construction designed to emulate the layered dimensionality of this traditional technique. This multi-faceted pattern is available in seven artisan inspired colors.
Crazy Quilt is a Victorian patchwork craft through which various pieces of cloth were stitched together and celebrated at the seams using decorative embellishments such as “feather, herringbone, fly and chain.” Our Crazy Quilt fabric removes the patchwork and focuses on the stitching by using a boucle yarn that looks like embroidery on the surface of the fabric. Complementary vibrant colors represent the hand-dyed velvets used in crazy quilting.
Darning refers to an embroidery technique called “pattern darning” in which embroidery threads are interwoven into the ground fabric. The length of the stitches may be varied to produce geometric designs. In an effort to emulate the handmade version, we interpreted this form of embroidery art with a multi-layer matelassé construction that receives its embroidered elements from a tight ground weave and heavier, half-layer yarn. Darning is available in seven clean, graphic color combinations.

Embellish refers to the elaborate decorations and stitches used to embellish crazy quilts. Buttons, lace and ribbon were frequently used. Animals and flowers seem to be the favorite embroidery themes. Some quilters believed that embroidering a spider on its web would bring good luck to the quilter. Embellish is our striped version of crazy quilt designed, engineered and thoughtfully colored for privacy curtain use in healthcare facilities of all kinds.
Friendship Quilt refers to a quilt made by a group of friends, with each participant making and signing one or more of the patchwork blocks. Our Friendship Quilt privacy curtain consists of many geometric shapes or blocks in a dramatic large-scale, multi-colored rendering of the designer’s geometric pattern. The concept of friendship quilting also represents our Stitch Collection collaboration with industry partners in support of the Common Thread for the Cure Foundation. Shades of calming colors create a harmonious balance in each of the five unique options.
Kantha is an embroidery technique used by Bengali women for centuries to repurpose remnants from saris into quilts by layering them together using running stitch. The artisans of kantha often told a story or imparted wishes for loved ones through their quilts. These women would sometimes “autograph” their pieces to indicate their relationship with the recipient of the kantha. Our kantha interpretation uses a thick boucle juxtaposed with finer yarns to mimic the contrast of the bulky running stitches on the flat woven sari material from the original quilts. Colors are rich references to the original sari colors.
Saori is an improvisational hand weaving technique rooted in the philosophy that beauty can be found in irregular patterning created through individual expression. According to Misao Jo, the founder of Saori, the “SA” of SAORI has the same meaning as the first syllable of the word “SAI” which is found in Zen vocabulary. It means everything has its own individual dignity. “ORI” means weaving. Our saori leaf pattern emulates this technique through the use of a unique striae effect that creates random looking texture and complementary colors within the leaf motif.