April showers...

April showers, bring may flowers.... Can't wait! I have been working on the garden, along with my partner, and of course the help of my mother, the garden gnome herself. In all the years growing up I never thought that I would be a gardener, taking for granted the beautiful spaces that my parents cultivated. The want to make, create, and cultivate plants, crops and lush greens came with the purchase of the house, and has really evolved into another way of creating and expanding a mind full of ideas. 

My mother really has been the one that has helped and taught us the most about the garden, without her help I am afraid we would be staring out at a piece of weed-filled dirt. Due to the rain the past few weeks I have not yet taken photos of all the work that has been happening in the yard, however I have been pinning on pinterest.... So here are a few inspiration photos. 

We actually took a tree trunk and did this on the side of the house in the backyard, and I am in love with it. 

I am not yet over the terrarium phase I have been playing with miniature gardens since last summer and just finished planting one that is about 2 by 3 feet..... photo to come. 

Love this idea of a tiny green house.... maybe next spring/winter. 

And who wouldn't love a pool that is completely filtered by the plants growing in one side of it... If only I could figure out where to put it.... 

P.S. I love pinterest! Check out my boards at www.pinterest.com/anaslayers/

Vogue

I finally got around to watching "The September Issue", a documentary that follows the process of what it takes to create an issue of Vogue. Fashion has always seduced me, however I have a love/hate relationship for the fashion world. I admire the artists that create some of the most spectacular things and literally create walking sculptures that are meant for wearing. Couture is my favorite kind of fashion, to look at, admire, and study. The hours that go into some of the garments, and the textiles that are used to make them are brilliant. Haute Couture is true craftsmanship at work. 

The movie was a really interesting look behind the scenes of what happens at the photo shoots, what makes it in and what gets cut. I love that part of the magazine the photos that showcase the most beautiful attire in the most un-realistic, imagined scenarios. Essentially what separates it from just being clothes and turns it into art. 

Anna Wintour is a powerful woman and definitely knows what she is doing. I was happy to see that she does have someone that challenges that at times and makes her re-think why something should stay, go or be changed. Her co-worker from the start- Grace. 

I did find it humorous that Meryl Streep played her so well in "The Devil Wears Prada." It was a fun comparison, and while she may seem cold, she is a business woman and at the end of the day she does her job brilliantly. An interesting documentary and well worth watching. 

inspired travels

While I was in Puerto Rico I fell in love with this building in Old San Juan. I made it a point to walk by it at least a dozen times. The tiles are so beautifully painted and layed the pattern and colors so traditional. The bottles in the tile even look like they are made from glass (which I think they could be). Last night while watching t.v I was so happy to see it as a back drop for a Gap commercial! I have no idea what they were trying to sell, probably jeans of some sort... But I could care less because there was my building again! I have dreams of what I would do with this building... a shop perhaps, antiques, art supplies, home wares, fabric... It is the perfect combination of old and beautiful and yet such a common thing is shown, bottles. At some point a factory, what a beautiful factory that must have been! 

finishing touches/inspiration

I am sure that I am not alone when I say that the finishing touches are the most tedious parts of making a quilt! I have been working on this for months, a traditional log cabin pattern. Finally I am seeing the end, it is so close I can almost feel this soft blanket on my bed... However there are those pesky little finishing touches that are so necessary to making a quilt last and structurally well crafted. 

I am using a traditional tying method to complete the quilt, I love doing it this way because it maintains that hand-finish, considering that this is all machine sewn. I use a soft pearl cotton to tie everything off, it is very strong, and wears well with all of the other cotton on the quilt. 

So until it is finished I will be tying away... and having this monster take over the studio table, ironing board, and chairs so that it stays flat-ish and off the floor. I have a huge pet peeve when it comes to making something dirty before it is finished. It could be the OCD in me, but it just seems so wrong to let this soft new cotton get dirty. Usually when I work on a project this long I am ready to put it away and never look at it again, (or at least for a few months). 

That's what happened to my circle quilt, it was hidden for almost a year until I was ready to look at it again. This one is different though, I am still in love with the color combo and the log pattern, I almost want to make another one with different fabrics (on a smaller scale). 

Now that I am almost at the end of this project I think it is fair to share what made me fall in love with this color combination and inspired the pattern. Below is the picture from a magazine, if memory serves me it was from "Beautiful Home" but it was about two years ago so I am not sure. I loved the textures in the frames so neatly put on the wall, but did not want so much on my walls. That is where the quilt came from. My bedroom is a cool true-grey color and I think the pairing will be such a soft and nice place to retreat to. The book "Modern Log Cabin Quilting" by Susan Beal, was also a great source for the technique and a look at other log cabin patterns. I followed the traditional method but came up with my own design inspired by this page torn out of a magazine and the book. 

body world's

While I was in Puerto Rico, I was lucky enough to see the "Body World's" exhibit by Gunther Von Hagen. I have missed this show in three cities and it was pure coincidence that I found it in San Juan. It was an incredible display of science and the human body, and artistically I found it moving. To pare down the body to the most basic forms of arteries, skin, bones, muscle, organs.... and on and on it went. I could have gone back every day to see the show if I wasn't doing other more beach like things... more on that to come. 

I was moved by these two people the most. The idea of a person holding their own skin off their back and what that could mean figuratively. The beauty of even being able to create this form... 

And then there was this one, the pregnant woman. The baby was so tiny I had to really look for it, even though she was already 5 months. It made me wonder what happened to her, and thankful for her contribution so we could see this stage of life in a way that has not been shown before. If this show comes anywhere close to you, I would recommend going to see it. Very interesting!

off to the carribean

I am looking forward to a week away in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While packing and getting ready for this trip, I noticed all the nautical beachwear that designers are putting out right now. Which excites me, because I love a good nautical look! Below is my wish list for beach wear, some pieces I own similar items, others are pure lust.

Of course an iconic big hat is on my list, especially the one Samantha wore in the first Sex and the city movie.

The Kate Spade, All aboard clutch, when this appeared on the shelf at work I instantly fell in love. What a perfect clutch, that is big enough to store more than just a credit card, and the lining is traditional blue, red and white stripes. I would love to bring my "boat" to dinner anytime.

These Prada sunglasses have been on my radar for a long time, however I finally tried them on and they were too wide for my face, fell right off. Unfortunately with the type of plastic they are hard to re-shape. None the less, what a beautiful accessory.

The wedges are just too cute and fun to pass up, unfortunately I am un-aware of the designer.

Lastly, the all important swim suit! This one is by Nannette Lapore, normally I wear a two piece, however this baithing suit is so well designer I would convert!

Looking forward to a few days away, with sun, sand, and a new culture to play in.

log cabin

Finally..... pictures of something I have been working on for a while! I started this quilt, sometime after moving last year. I painted the whole house in different shades of grey and grey-white. A neutral pallet, not because I am afraid of color, but because I wanted to play with texture and showcase my collections more than the wall paint. Also as much as I love a great hue or shade, I love coming home to relaxed, warm, escape from the world. Of course I also had to keep in mind the person I live with, and neutral grey was a great compromise.
That is where the inspiration for this quilt came from. It is actually for a real bed, not just an aesthetic quilt but a very utilitarian one. It is for the master bedroom, with the slanted ceiling on one side of the room, it makes the room have a cozy-cottage like feeling. What better accent than a handmade quilt, in a traditional pattern!



While the cabin is a traditional log cabin, I did use many modern prints and a soft border for the logs. I am making it extra long on the sides because the bed is tall and I hate having a bedspread that is too short. I feel as if a queen size bed spread always needs about 5 more inches on either side! (A constant pet-peeve).
I still need to finish connecting the longer pieces, and add the back, and quilt the whole thing... geez! Makes it sound like I just started working on it! It is much closer to being finished now that the logs are done!



My cozy nook, where I often read. The light in this room is beautiful during the day, cool and soft in the morning, thankfully, so I can sleep a little longer sometimes, and very bright and warm in the afternoon. The color of the room changes all the time, grey is funny like that.



In college I never wanted to make many things that were utilitarian, I mostly focused on concept and aesthetics. As time passes and my life moves forward, I have become very interested in traditional textiles. Before I would be fascinated with what women made in the past, and the idea of women's work. I drew a lot of inspiration from it, and then would have quikly taken the tecnique or pattern and used it in way that hung beautifully in a gallery, but not a home. For a while now the home and what is in it, how it feels, the light in the rooms, the texture, the times spent in it, have become just as important as the concept of what I make to put in it.
It all goes back to the idea of the past and how it pertains to the future, how things, people, places, phases all come and go and how the memories that surround them are affected in our minds. I am coming to realize that what I used to make versus what I make now are related, but on such different scales in the art world and aesthetic world. I can still think, feel, see, and live in the world that makes me think and question all the time, but what I make has so much to do with process, time and living with it everyday now. Instead of having a closet packed with old work in bins, protected with tissue paper and soft pieces of cotton I live with what I make everyday and I share it with others.
Not to say that every once in a while I don't just make something out of pure concept and idea, I do, and still love that way of making, and thinking. However I am currently challenging myself to really reign my craft on traditional techniques, and revisit some of the way things were made in the past, especially for the home. I guess some of this comes out of having my own home, and the sense of growing and realizing that I am closer to what I want that I thought I was... Or maybe it has just changed and I am accepting that... I have a record of being my own worst critic! So I give myself a hard time when I decide that what I wanted for most of my adult life, has changed the past two years... Maybe the better way of looking at it is that what I wanted versus what I want is a growth on what I have always been drawn to. With experience, travels, and life I have figured some it out better, and I am sure as everything does.... It with morph and change again.
Thank you for sticking through this long post, that is starting to sound like a fragment of my brain. I hope to make it more clear someday and until then I will be finishing this log cabin!