Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

August 5, 2012

Rest in pieces

Erin Flett's comfy pillows have an added benefit: the arty, original design vibe each brings to a space.

By Ray Routhier rrouthier@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

Erin Flett had a hard time finding pillows she liked.

Being a graphic designer and the daughter of an antiques dealer, she has pretty discriminating tastes. She appreciates good design, vibrant color and quality materials.

When Flett began to think about making her own pillows, she realized that putting her creativity and designs into a pillow would be a more permanent manifestation of her talents.

By comparison, the work she creates for brochures and pamphlets as a graphic designer are fairly fleeting.

"I liked the idea of creating something more permanent for people's homes, and I loved the idea of creating something that people connect with comfort," said Flett, 37, of Gorham. "The other thing I love about pillows is that they're such an easy thing in a room to switch out, to add a pop of color to a room without a big commitment."

On the other hand, Flett made a big commitment about two years ago when she launched her own line of pillows and textiles under the name "Erin Flett: Designs for the Stylish Soul."

Her designs, on pillows especially, have gained her attention from national magazines like O: The Oprah Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens and Yankee. Her work has also been touted on home design blogs and websites, helping her build her business.

After the piece in O magazine earlier this year, Flett said, she did about four times as much business as she normally does. The magazine showed several of Flett's pillows with designs inspired by her daily life with her husband and two daughters, ages 4 and 8, in Gorham.

One of the pillows in the Oprah spread is called "Crescent Moon," and features a repeating patterns of various stages of the moon.

"We do a lot of campfires outside, looking at the night sky, and the girls are always suggesting things for designs," said Flett. "The squirrel and frog (designs) I do came from critters we saw. We were at the beach and the girls saw some crabs, and told me I've got to do a crab pillow."

Flett sells a frog pillow called "Froggie," because, she says, every frog she and her daughters catch is named "Froggie."

Flett's pillows range from about $35 to $79, keeping with her idea that a well-crafted, eye-catching pillow can be an affordable element that makes a room feel different or new.

Flett's pillows and textiles stand out not only for the way they look, but the way they're made and feel.

One of the fabrics she uses -- a reproduction of a 1950s-vintage bark cloth -- has an emotional significance for her.

Growing up in Colorado, her mother was an antiques dealer who collected vintage bark cloth. So Flett spent many a weekend "junking" with her mother and looking for antiques and bark cloth.

"I looked all over before I found (bark cloth) I could use for my pillows. It has a nubby, textural feel," said Flett. "And it's something I have an emotional connection to."

She also makes pillows and other textiles such as bags and wall hangings using oatmeal twill made from recycled soda bottles. She's proud of the fact that she looks hard for materials that are American-made (it was hard to find a U.S. zipper maker, she says), and she has the pillows stitched by local folks working from their homes in southern Maine.

Much of the work is done at Flett's home, where she and her family come up with design ideas for her to work with. The designs are burned onto a screen, then put on the fabric using a large silk screening table in Flett's basement.

(Continued on page 2)

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