the power of making

Outside the October sky hangs glum and grey against the colors just starting to change. Inside the news goes on endlessly as those in suits and ties talk "sincerely" of pain and then use disinformation in their quest for power.  Tempers mount. A friend is almost in tears. We all know the feeling of resignation that the want us to have.

Shelburne Falls--October 2018--Ann Brauer

Of course I turn to my beloved fabrics and sewing machine in my search for solace and purpose. After the last show there is so much I need to do. Orders to fill. I am sold out of phone cases. Yikes. I know I need more eye glass cases and place mats. A few table runners in popular colors. Of course more potholders. Time to get busy. High class worries. I have three more craft shows and one sale ahead of me, after all. So much to do. So little time.

But though I turn to classical music or silence, the clouds still hang. I like working with colors and fabrics and feel so fortunate that I can do so, but I know I need more. Then I remember--did I ever forget--that in making wall art--getting lost in that world--I can regain my sense of purpose and energy. Don't we all need art now more than ever? Maybe I can capture the colors of the trees in autumn. So I start sewing.

As usual, the questions--what comes next? Shall I take the obvious way? What about the bottom? Will green tie it together? Such questions. And yet, there is an answer and the drive to add the fabric, one piece at a time. This is why I make quilts. And why I must make another and another.

color of autumn--quilt--Ann Brauer 2018

And you--what is the power of art in your life? How do you cope with the external world and maintain your own sense of self?  Do your quilts ever just fall into place?