Like me, Kay has amassed quite a lot of pieces of indigenous fabric from her travels. I recall that Robin once told me a tongue-in-cheek joke about American female diplomats collecting exotic pieces of fabric from their posts all over the world, and the slogan "She who dies with the most pieces of fabric, wins."

Kay was thinking of having some of her pieces converted into dresses, but I advised her to go to a real couturier to have that done. Otherwise she might just end up looking like a department chairperson who operates an old Singer sewing machine.

I also advised her to avoid the Department Chairperson Look by the following:

--Use woven blankets only as blankets.
--Use woven table runners only as table runners.
--Use woven table napkins only as table napkins.
--Do NOT attempt to look clever by covering your cushions and throw pillows with pieces of fabric originally meant to be blankets, table runners, and table napkins.
--Do NOT attempt to look cute by hanging the pieces of fabric on your wall--either framed or on a dinky pole.
--Avoid fusing ethnic with modern. It is low-budget pretentious, and that is the only statement that it makes.

It is really as simple as that. Use what you bought the way they were meant to be used.

Otherwise, why buy them at all?