garden inspirations

A small view into why my garden has been such a source of inspiration for me.... Family of woodpeckers living in one of my trees.

And also to let you know I have posted these on etsy. http://www.etsy.com/shop/anaslayers 

addicted...

 It is official...

 I have a problem... it's called paper piecing, hexagons...

In one week I have made almost 400, 3/4 inch... and just cut more out this morning... 

I justify this behavior, by telling myself it is how one works out OCD tendencies, way better than therapy! I have been wanting to do this for years, and have put it off because the circle quilt I made a couple years ago was such a consuming huge project. I think these go a lot faster though, the paper helps keep it going. It is also a great use for leftover scraps, and I love the way Liberty fabrics and the cute Japanese prints look on these. 

So enough justifying on the hexagons, what am I going to make now, that I have a couple hundred of mis-matched hexagon shapes... Well for starters a gift for a friend of mine, I will show a finished project. I also have plans for 3 other small projects, where I will break up all the fabric choices that I used for these. Can't wait to share the progress report... back to hexagon making, while watching the Olympics! 

wait... If I use Liberty fabrics while watching the Olympics, that is sort of like supporting the Olympics themselves, it is London after all! Feeling much better now that I made that justification. 

six sided addictions

Hexa go-go by Tacha Bruecher 

Ever since my circle days I have stayed away from projects that involve hours and hours of tiny little pieces to make a whole... However my compulsive nature usually brings me back to projects like this, especially because it is something that I can work on and then put down if need-be. It is also nice to have a project I can take with me, when I go places. 

So here I am again making tiny little shapes, hexagons this time I really want to make a story line with them, and perhaps some geometric pillows and such. Not sure on the exact project yet but I did go get this book for inspiration the other day and fell even more in love with the idea! It is by Tacha Bruecher, the images are gorgeous and inspiring. I usually do not copy a project from a book, I am very bad at following other people's patterns, however I love books like this for inspiration, and to draw ideas from. 

Page from Hexa go-go 

Page from Hexa go-go

Today I finally pulled out my little hexagon paper pieces that have been collecting dust on my shelf for some time now, and started to make these... 

I think I am in love, I may never use a square again... well... I do love squares too, but I am really excited about these and can't wait to piece them all together.

The fabric I used for these is by Aneela Hoey, I used her fabric once before, without really paying attention to it. Recently I have really fallen for it though and have amassed a nice size collection of it. Her innocent, sweet designs lend themselves to projects like this. Small little tid-bits of a larger story. 

Must go now lots more hexagons to sew up while I watch the Olympics. Did you guys see the opening ceremonies, loved the field-turned industrial revolution! 

updated bits.

My completed alphabet finally came back from the frame shop. I am pleased with it! It is silly and fun and perfect for a little one. The frame I picked out is plain white, with a linen fillet, museum glass. This type of glass is amazing it does not allow for any glare, and of course there is a spacer in there too, so that the glass does not sit on the fabric. 

                                   

                                     

                                   

I also worked on this tiny quilt some more. It may morph into something but I mainly worked on this to help me with my binding skills and to see how I like the look of embroidery floss as a means to quilt something together.    

                                   

I started using the Sullivan's embroidery floss and am loving the colors and the hand of it. It just glides right through fabric, I have slowly been collecting all the colors.

garden party

After doodling in the embroideries last week I wanted to piece some fabrics and make an ombre effect that I have been admiring in a lot of the quilt world lately. Again the garden served as a soft inspiration for this, maybe its the unbearably hot weather, or the colors that fill the garden, but lately I have had summer all over my brain. I am not sure yet what to make of this but I am considering a table runner, because this just shouts garden party to me. 

I don't know if it is the new time I have, or that things have been bottled up but at the moment I have so many ideas, and images running through my head that I have just been working away trying to get them out and seeing which ones lead to more substantial work. Even if they are just to get back into the rhythm of constantly making and brushing up on technique its a starting off point.

I was actually very pleased with the way this turned out. I love the colors and the fresh look of a summer farmer's market. 

stitching along

The past week was my first week really jumping into the studio, it has been lovely. I have been working on a couple of different things at the same time, which is always a good way for me to work. These are some little embroidery pieces that are inspired by the garden. I spend a lot of my time in the summer out there, watering, planting, snipping and medling around. The idea of myself as a gardener is funny in a way, because I never used to be the kind to dig up dirt. 

These are silly and not meant to be taken too seriously. I really wanted to embroider, and try out some new embroidery floss that I had, so these doodles were a good way to do it. I will be stretching them and making them look more finished and they will be up on etsy.com, hopefully next week.

A to Z...

So I am guilty of starting a project every once in a while and putting it down for a month... or a year or two.... well this is one of those. I began this as a gift for one of my bestfriends' for her new baby. Well the baby will be 2 in September and this sat unfinished at the letter "h" for a while. I picked it up the other week and finished the rest of it in a week. It felt good to prove to myself that I can still be productive when I put myself up to it. I took the letters from various places and then did my take on a sampler. I love the traditional samplers, the different colors, stitches and threads, and I thought and alphabet is a great place to use them all... It is at the frame shop at the moment so some more photos to come. 

The french knots turned out to be my favorite and the whole thing... oh and the "e"...