the frolic

I don't know if this ever happens to you, but sometimes I just need to get a quilt DONE. Not one of those long projects that I work on for days or even weeks but a little quilt to refresh my mind. An amuse bouche. Or maybe if I were British I might call a frolic.

In this case the perfect project was delivered to my in box. A customer who had bought a couple of my placemats on Etsy now wanted something to hang in their baby daughter's room. They seemed like sweet people, would give me free reign and it seemed like it would be fun to do. (Besides the annual sale at The Textile Company starts next Tuesday and it would be fun to have a bit of extra cash around--yes I am a bit of a fabric-aholic).

I had a couple of placemats around in the colors they wanted so I pinned them up loosely to my design board to give the couple a rough idea what I planned to make.

frolic--quilt--Ann Brauer

Perfect they said and I decided to start. This was not a project to spend a lot of time on. The budget was low. I knew that going in so I wanted to relax, have fun and finish it. Perhaps it could be a bit lighter. A hint of sunrise. I pulled out some fabrics and started sewing.

frolic--quilt--Ann Brauer

By putting the horizon line lower I knew I could create more interest. I figured I make the bottom be slightly more blue. Again a bit more interest.

frolic--quilt--Ann Brauer

The colors kept calling me. Yes, it was taking longer than I had anticipated. Partly because even though I was working with a familiar idea I did have to do more thinking than I do with placemats where I  organize the fabrics all and sew. There were more colors involved. I had to hunt for just the right color which does take time. Then I had to look at what I was doing to make sure I was still on track. Still the quilt kept calling me.

frolic--quilt--Ann Brauer

Until finally I could trim it off.

frolic--quilt--Ann Brauer

Doesn't that yellow add such an interesting spark?

Normally I like a black binding. It makes my work consistent and I think makes it look more finished. But this was for a young child. And the original placemats had a lavender background so I figured that was what was called for.

frolic--quilt--Ann Brauer

Not bad, is it? Should I make more. While I know I under-priced myself on this quilt, I could probably sell more if I made them.  If I made them in a series it would be quicker. Three hung together would look great. I could spend weeks doing this. Still the finish work took longer than I had hoped and I think I would want to quilt on top of the piece these days. That could not be made faster.  I have other orders to fill. Baltimore is very soon. And if I have any hope of having the dynamic and impressive booth I long for at that show, perhaps it is not the best use of my time. Sigh. Although a good concept to have in my back pocket when I need one. Or when a customer requests one. Thanks Etsy.

And you, do you ever make something just because? A small fun piece. What do you think?

another blog

What a delightful and fun blog post this is. Hope you enjoy.

http://gefiltequilt.blogspot.com/2016/01/i-spent-new-years-getting-insanely-thin.html.

the textile curator

I love it when people include my quilts in their blogs. Here is one with lots of wonderful images of my quilts and some great content. Hope you enjoy.

dreaming of rainbows--quilt--Ann Brauer--2014

http://www.textilecurator.com/home-default/home-2-2/ann-brauer/

finishing the quilt

It may be an apocryphal story but family legend has it that my grandmother would take her quilts to the local quilting bees--she had to. After all, her in-laws were there. Then when she came home she would take out their stitches because they were too big. In her world neatness did count.

Now I am not a fanatic about my work but still I think it deserves the respect of having the back look good even if you are the only person who will see it. This is the quilt "dawn" on my design board just waiting to get finished.

dawn--quilt--Ann Brauer--2015

To begin I take two small blocks that are going to be joined.

dawn--quilt--Ann Brauer--2015

I then put them right sides together, pin them and sew a seam. My machine is a 1965 Singer 281-3 which is beginning to get some wonderful signs of wear that adds character to it. (It actually survived when I lost my studio to Irene--pretty amazing isn't it? But I digress.)

dawn--quilt--Ann Brauer--2015

I open up the seam just to make sure I caught everything. Then I add a strip of fabric binding which will cover the seam allowance on the back. Probably I could do this process in one step but it always feels more secure with a double seam. This is a place you can use what you have and create your own style.

dawn--quilt--Ann Brauer--2015

I press the binding over the seam allowance and whip stitch it in place. Yes, this is not my favorite part of making the quilt. I want it done. But I turn on my favorite NPR station and hope that maybe Terry Gross has a great interview. What is Robin Young talking about today? You get the idea. Of course this is also a good time to dream of your next project.

dawn--quilt--Ann Brauer--2015

I double check the front to make sure it is OK and repeat. And repeat and repeat.

dawn--quilt--Ann Brauer--2015

Finally I sew the long rows together using the same technique. Note I have staggered the side where I press the bindings so it does not become too bulky.

dawn--quilt--Ann Brauer--2015

There you have it. A neat finish on the back. A quilt that lies flat.

Here is the snapshot of the quilt "dawn" the perfect project to finish at the end of the year. I had forgotten how wonderful the colors look together. Now I am wondering if I should make one for the studio also. Hmmm.

dawn--quilt--Ann Brauer--2015

 So I hope that answers your questions. And now I need to work on the next projects for this order.