Such Inspiration

This dress is from Myne, the designer I met in LA when I went there in February. I am going to sound very cheap but I can't afford this. And despite the fact that I LOVE the design, and the elastic gathered empire waist, the Ikat pattern, and the grey and yellow colors, I just don't have the funds!! BUT, I do appreciate quality craftsmanship and beautiful design. If you need some inspiration or a new dress for the summer head over to Shopbop.com and check out the rest of Ashley Ann's Designs.

*Blushing*

thank you everyone for your comments on my quilt festival entry. They have really made my day. :-)

Also, I started a new quilt with some blue blocks of fabric I cut out many years ago for a quilt for an ex-boyfriend (haha).

Blech.

It is raining today, I guess it is spring but I am in desperate need of at least 1 week of sunny beautiful warm weather. Do you ever feel like everything you do is wrong? Like you aren't really in control of things and when you try to get in control nothing works. In general things are pretty great, mainly I am headed to UIC for architecture school next year. And while I love Chicago and I've been fortunate to have wonderful friends here, it just seems like things are drifting apart. I decided to stay here because there really is no better location to study architecture but the world capital of architecture (it's true), but maybe I needed to make a change. Maybe Chicago and I have run our course? Or maybe I am just socially incapable of figuring out rough spots and lulls and boredom. Who knows what the answer is, maybe there isn't one, or perhaps its far beyond any comprehension, either way I guess I will be staying here no matter what so I will have to figure it out. But in the meantime, I am just not feeling RIGHT. Blech. Not even sewing is making me feel better or even distracting me.

My Second Favorite Quilt

I have decided to participate in the online quilt festival. I love to read people's stories of inspiration, so I thought I would contribute mine too. Unfortunately my camera died completely yesterday so I wasn't able to get a pic of my first quilt, which is my favorite because of the sentimental value. I will write about it here sometime. just not today.

My second favorite quilt is the one I made for my best friend Jennifer. Her and I have had a tumultuous friendship, and somehow despite the hardships she has endured and I have tried to help her with, we made it out on the other end. I call her just to call her, and usually she doesn't answer but I usually just feel better after the action of dialing the phone. When I do talk to her, she instantly gives me the best advice because she KNOWS me and she loves my little quirks. She calls me Martha as in THE Martha and we make jewelery together and explore and shop and hike and eat and I love her. I never know if the people I love know how much I love them. So in this case I decided to make her a quilt as a housewarming for the new abode that her and her BF Robbie bought in LA.

I am pretty modern and wanted to do something with solid colors and used a pattern I had purchased to make a batik quilt for my mom, but I thought it would look amazing with greys and purples. Also a perfect color combo for Jen. It was a long process and a lot of cutting, and there was NO grey fabric out there, but oh man. I LOVE this quilt. i can't even express how much I love it. Without further ado, here it is. I hope you enjoy it!!


Thanks for looking!! Join the fesitval and the FUN!! Quilt on!! ;)

Online Quilt Festival!

I am so excited to join this online quilt festival. Everyone should check it out. You take some pics of a quilt project of yours, then you post them and share the story. I know exactly what quilt I am going to write about. My very very first one. I love IT. Ok, I'm going to take some pics and be back to talk about it.

Note: Just realized my camera display is BROKEN!! That dinky viewfinder is WORTHLESS. grrrr unhappy Jenny.

PS: the host of this festival is ParkCityGirl...I haven't figured out what Park City she is talking about, but I am hoping its Utah so we can chat about my hometown!! (I doubt we will chat but at least be like "hey don't you love.....(nacho mamas, baja cantina, the mountains)?")

I want this.

Awesome. I want some neon in my wardrobe, ASAP. Baby-g-Shock via ShopBop.

So this is architecture school

I'm off work today because I have an admitted student event at University Illinois - Chicago (UIC). I'm very excited to see what the deal is, since I pretty much have no idea. Today we are going to be at the school, with tours and talks and meeting people (eeek I always get nervous for that!), then tomorrow we are getting taken to several alumni architecture firms (SOM, UrbanLab, etc). This is IT!!! I am hoping this will help me make my decision between UIC and IIT soon, because I want the decision to be over!!!

Quickie

On Sunday I made another skirt, using the same "pattern" as the other one...BUT this one was NOT silk. Everyone can exhale now in case you were holding your breath. Anyway, remember how I mentioned my obsession with Ikea, and how I'm mostly Swedish, and love modern design? Well, Marimekko has alot to do with all of the above (well except for making me part Swedish, that's because of my greatgrandparents) N-E-ways, my amazingly crafty and stylish Madre has been talking about this Marimekko person since forever. Madre loves to sew, loves Scandinavia, and loves design, and Marimekko was synonymous with all of these. Of course I find out that Marimekko isn't a single person much later in life (I still refer to Marimekko as a her), but have been drawn to their textile design since forever. Along with my introduction to FLW and The Fountainhead, Marimekko textiles were the catalyst that transformed me into a architecture and design fanatic. Not only that, but a modern one at that. Note: I don't like unnecessary adornments FYI EVER.

Ok, so I said this would be a quickie, and here it is. The skirt I made out of Marimekko LELO fabric (first designed in 1991) from the Crate and Barrel outlet here in Chicago. For....wait for it......4.5o a yard...and I used less than a yard for this skirt.
And the buttons were from the DIYODS show last weekend via the Chicago Craft Mafia, approx 5 cents a button. Wish you could tell how awesome they are....