For years, it seemed that Maira Kalman existed in the shadow of her famous husband/designer Tibor Kalman. Then she was the grieving widow. Slowly she has become known for her witty illustrations for books (including a re-issue of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style). Now, Kalman is seemingly everywhere. One very exciting release is the translation of her drawings into textiles, available from Maharam (these would be upholstery weight fabrics, I believe.)

Steven Henderson wrote a review of her textiles for the NY Times: “An admitted novice to textile design, the author and illustrator Maira Kalman (above) doodled (and dawdled) for months over her first fabric design for Maharam, called the Story of My Life. Her woven ‘hieroglyphic journal’ is based on pen-and-ink drawings of her favorite things: dancers, pomegranates, Gerrit Rietveld Zig-Zag chairs, rhinoceroses and balls of string, all embellished with curious crosshatches and squiggles. ‘It is a considered stream of consciousness,’ Kalman says, explaining that she compulsively sketches, photographs and files away whatever catches her eye, be it a shoe in India or some Texas tumbleweed. ‘When I draw something, though, it’s never to make fun of, or to say, ‘Isn’t that silly?’ she says. ‘No! I think, Isn’t that sublime?’ Available for $125 a yard…”

Maharam, the manufacturer, offers this insight: “Seeking to explore figurative and narrative themes while capturing unique media and perspectives from beyond the contract textile realm, Maharam enlisted the wit of New York-based illustrator/designer Maira Kalman. Best known for her kinetic illustrations, absurdist humor, and eccentric appreciation of the mundane, Maharam invited Kalman to transpose her playful figures into upholstery.

Aptly titled, The Story of My Life by Maira Kalman presents a hieroglyphic assembly of people, places and objects that delight her. Reminiscent of the iconic illustrations framing many of her children’s books, the fluid contours of Kalman’s silhouettes are rendered on an ultra-fine denier warp, preserving the clarity of her original black and white sketches. Available in five colors, Kalman’s idiosyncratic characters are woven into a rich, dense upholstery, and further embellished with contrasting accents. Composed as an oversized repeat of more than 200 figures, songbirds, elephants, ballerinas, Rietveld Zig-Zag chairs, and wedding cakes all pop on the solid ground. Each spry detail invites a closer look, offering a glimpse into the world as Maira Kalman sees it.” Maharam