Help me give an epic gift to my boyfriend!
February 1, 2012 8:44 PM Subscribe
My boyfriend has a bedding set that he LOVES. It's fading, plus we want a bigger comforter, and I can't find the set for sale anywhere (he got it a while ago). I'd like to recreate it as a present for him.
He claims it's called "Windows" - he liked it as a young(er) geek because it was rectangles of various sizes in Microsoft Windows -esque colors, but I'm not sure if it was a Microsoft reference, or if was just because of the rectangles. Googling this is a nightmare.
I'm hitting a wall at most of the stages, but especially the first:
1) I have to recreate the pattern. It's a pretty big pattern. Is there somewhere I can send this (perhaps as part of step #2) that will make this pattern digital? I imagine it wouldn't be terribly difficult for someone with graphic design skills - it's literally rectangles of various sizes and opacities. But I don't think I could do it. We have a couple of flat sheets (not very faded) that I could send off to someone if needed.
2) Someone has to print the pattern onto fabric. We'd need enough for a queen-size comforter, maybe 4 pillowcases, and two sets of full-size sheets (we fight over the blanket enough that we decided if we ever moved on from the beloved bedding set, we'd get a bigger comforter). I've found a few companies that do this, and the companies are easy enough to find, so this is my least problematic step. But does anyone have any experience with any of the online companies?
3) Then I'll need someone to sew the bedding. This must be fairly common, right? I don't know how to search for this, or if it would be easier to find an online or local company.
The first step is really the biggest hurdle at this point. I REALLY want to make this happen. Ideally, this would be around $500 to complete, but if it's more that's okay. I'm in the Bay Area, if that matters.
Thank you so much for your help!
He claims it's called "Windows" - he liked it as a young(er) geek because it was rectangles of various sizes in Microsoft Windows -esque colors, but I'm not sure if it was a Microsoft reference, or if was just because of the rectangles. Googling this is a nightmare.
I'm hitting a wall at most of the stages, but especially the first:
1) I have to recreate the pattern. It's a pretty big pattern. Is there somewhere I can send this (perhaps as part of step #2) that will make this pattern digital? I imagine it wouldn't be terribly difficult for someone with graphic design skills - it's literally rectangles of various sizes and opacities. But I don't think I could do it. We have a couple of flat sheets (not very faded) that I could send off to someone if needed.
2) Someone has to print the pattern onto fabric. We'd need enough for a queen-size comforter, maybe 4 pillowcases, and two sets of full-size sheets (we fight over the blanket enough that we decided if we ever moved on from the beloved bedding set, we'd get a bigger comforter). I've found a few companies that do this, and the companies are easy enough to find, so this is my least problematic step. But does anyone have any experience with any of the online companies?
3) Then I'll need someone to sew the bedding. This must be fairly common, right? I don't know how to search for this, or if it would be easier to find an online or local company.
The first step is really the biggest hurdle at this point. I REALLY want to make this happen. Ideally, this would be around $500 to complete, but if it's more that's okay. I'm in the Bay Area, if that matters.
Thank you so much for your help!
Lay it flat and take a picture. If you can't get the entire pattern in, quarter it with white (or contrasting) colored ribbon and take four pics. Patch them together in Illustrator.
posted by raisingsand at 8:58 PM on February 1, 2012
posted by raisingsand at 8:58 PM on February 1, 2012
Do you have a pictures? It's entirely possible that one of us might randomly recognize it or might have better luck Googling it.
posted by AaRdVarK at 9:15 PM on February 1, 2012
posted by AaRdVarK at 9:15 PM on February 1, 2012
Response by poster: Here's a (poor quality) picture of the comforter cover.
posted by riddler at 9:23 PM on February 1, 2012
posted by riddler at 9:23 PM on February 1, 2012
I've seen something very much like this at Ikea. Can't find it on their site. It may have also been some time ago.
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 9:31 PM on February 1, 2012
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 9:31 PM on February 1, 2012
Sewing bedding is an absolute snap. Anybody with basic sewing skills can do it. I know, because my very first sewing project when I was 13 and learning was a duvet cover sewn from two bedsheets. (I couldn't find one in a pattern that I liked). The only tricky part is finding extra-wide fabric and sewing the elastic to the bottom sheet, but even that's not the worst.
Spoonflower should help you out for fabric, though I'm not sure if they sell in extra-wide lengths.
posted by custard heart at 9:51 PM on February 1, 2012
Spoonflower should help you out for fabric, though I'm not sure if they sell in extra-wide lengths.
posted by custard heart at 9:51 PM on February 1, 2012
Response by poster: I think that was one of my problems when I researched this before - lack of extra-wide lengths. I guess I should probably find out how wide I'd need the fabric to be and narrow down the companies from there.
posted by riddler at 9:55 PM on February 1, 2012
posted by riddler at 9:55 PM on February 1, 2012
Have you thought about having it made as a quilt? I had a quilt made a few years ago and it turned really great. It cost me about $400 as I recall, and turned out really great.
posted by Nickel Pickle at 10:07 PM on February 1, 2012
posted by Nickel Pickle at 10:07 PM on February 1, 2012
It looks like a fairly simple pattern graphically, I can probably make it into a pattern for you in illustrator in less than an hour. THe colors are a bit trickier, because you said that it's fading, and because photos/computer screens don't often make for the most accurate color representation. Where are you in the bay? I'm in the North Bay, memail me your location and maybe we can figure something out?
posted by nerdcore at 12:01 AM on February 2, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by nerdcore at 12:01 AM on February 2, 2012 [2 favorites]
The pattern looks complex enough to piece that a quilt would probably be pretty pricey (although not impossible). Have you tried taking a better picture of the pattern and using the image to search Google Image Search?
posted by pie ninja at 5:13 AM on February 2, 2012
posted by pie ninja at 5:13 AM on February 2, 2012
are there tags on any of the pieces? You might be able to find it again that way and use the pieces to make a bigger version, if necessary.
posted by lemniskate at 5:25 AM on February 2, 2012
posted by lemniskate at 5:25 AM on February 2, 2012
I am almost 100% that it's an old IKEA duvet cover, because I almost bought it once. I did some looking around on eBay to see if I could spot the exact pattern, and I did some searches using various Swedish words for window/square/rectangle, etc. without luck. You may try sending the photo along to your closest Ikea and asking if they have the name of the pattern, which might make it possible to find a queen/king version to buy.
posted by gemmy at 7:01 AM on February 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by gemmy at 7:01 AM on February 2, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Gave up the surprise and asked him where he got it. He doesn't know when (probably 7 years...ish). Finally remembered it was from The Company Store. Still claims it's called Windows. It's still not the easiest thing to google, but I'll keep some alerts out there if anything pops up on eBay or the like. If that fails in 6 months or so, I will probably be contacting nerdcore to help me make up a pattern. :)
Thank you all for your help! You've given me a bunch of ideas to pursue. And if you'd like to test your google-fu with the new information, feel free!
posted by riddler at 3:14 PM on February 2, 2012
Thank you all for your help! You've given me a bunch of ideas to pursue. And if you'd like to test your google-fu with the new information, feel free!
posted by riddler at 3:14 PM on February 2, 2012
Search for geometric bedding, particularly in the retro style. That style is pretty common retro geometric design though I don't know if he'll be able to get the same set. And when I saw the picture, I was pretty certain it was from Ikea as I have seen it before. I don't think Ikea carries it any more. Good luck!
posted by loquat at 4:44 PM on February 2, 2012
posted by loquat at 4:44 PM on February 2, 2012
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posted by sugarbomb at 8:55 PM on February 1, 2012