memories of mist

I start a quilt thinking of the softness of the mist as it rises from the ocean. The calmness of the sky anchored by the firm shore. Don't you love the ripples in the prints of some of the fabric that add to the story of the quilt.

 A friend then sends me a quote from Albert Camus.

"The sky was green. I felt happy."

memories of mist--40 x 40 inches--quilt--Ann Brauer 2020

Doesn't the quilting add to the texture of these colors and fabric? The little starfish in the prints makes me smile.

detail--memories of mist--quilt--Ann Brauer

 And another view.

detail--memories of mist--quilt--Ann Brauer

Doesn't this add yet another layer of meaning to the quilt? I must contemplate it more as I prepare for the Baltimore Craft Show in February. How quickly it is coming. I am Booth F-6 to the left along the wall as you enter from Pratt Street.https://craftcouncil.org/shows/acc/american-craft-show-baltimore

To see more of my quilts you can also check out my website www.annbrauer.com or my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer

don't stop thinking about tomorrow

There is an apocryphal but oh so true story that I have heard for years--probably you have heard it also.

An artist is asked what she would do if she was given a million dollars. The answer of course is to keep making art until she ran out of money.

Isn't that the way it goes. Always there is another quilt to make. Another show to prepare for.

Next up is the Baltimore Craft Show February 23-25 at the Baltimore Convention Center. www.craftcouncil.org How I love this show. This is another large show with six hundred artists and lots of customers who are searching for an escape from winter. For me it is the first chance to define my work for the coming year. How can I create a body of work that carries on from what I have previously done, allows me take advantage of the insights from last year and reads as a cohesive whole. One friend noted that all of my square quilts reminded her of school bus windows. Interesting thought. Do I need to make more quilts that are other sizes? Another friend whose work I respect said she preferred my more abstract pieces. Hmmm. And of course there are all those who make comments about psychedelic colors. I hear these and put them in the back of my mind to gel.

I look at other art to feed my soul and to help me see new possibilities. What inspires me. What am I trying to say. I sketch lots of quilts that will probably not get made just to see if I could make them. After all,  I am not making quilts just to make quilts--I  want to make quilts that have a purpose. Although it can be important to understand the technique until it becomes my language, technique is not the content of the quilts--at least not for me. I want to speak with the viewer. What am I trying to communicate.

And I make lots of potholders and place mats as I think about it. There is no point in sitting idly by and fretting too much. That does not create art. Instead I sew and play with the fabrics.

This year I have decided to feature my quilt "mountain sunrise". I love the colors and the joy of this piece. So happy and confident. Definitely it will be a focus. But my booth is large and there are 600 exhibitors at the Baltimore Show. I need to WOW the crowd.

mountain sunrise--40x40"--quilt--Ann Brauer 2017--image by John Polak

I make a long quilt--it's a new day. Not large enough to be a showstopper but still it was a quilt I wanted to make in a shape that could look great over a sofa or bed. Size does matter sometimes.

it's a new day--17x63"--Ann Brauer 2017

I look at other quilts I have made. I love the triptych in notes from twilight. That could make a strong statement in my booth.

notes from twilight--40x80"--quilt--Ann Brauer 2017--image by John Polak

And I start sewing with a purpose. Yes this is a quilt that I want to make. A quilt that will look great. And a quilt that should dominate the booth. Now there is just the long slow road to completion. One tiny bit of fabric at a time. I'll try to keep you posted.

And you--how do you choose what to make? How do you create a body of work?

it's about color

OK--I know that my next show is the Baltimore Craft Show February 23-25 right when people are thinking the bright happy colors of spring. Indeed many people even now want the bright clear colors of hope and light. And I have several orders lined up ready to be filled.

And yet sometimes I just have to see what will happen. Color after all does reflect the depths of my soul. (Yes, that sounds maybe a bit profound but it still can be true for me.) Winter is just starting here in the North East and it is dark and cold. The holidays are over and so I decided to create.

What do I need to make? What intrigues me? For some reason it is the complex nature of browns in all their glory. Soon I know I must begin anticipating the season and moving on to light and warm days but I couldn't resist. Interesting how color can just lead me on.

brown flame--quilt--Ann Brauer--2017

Don't you love all these fabrics? Can you see what I had so much fun?

detail--brown flame--quilt--Ann Brauer

Does this ever happen to you? For more information on the Baltimore Show check out their web site. I'm in Booth 1309. https://craftcouncil.org/shows/acc/american-craft-show-baltimore And of course I listed it on my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer

selling at craft shows

OK--it was not easy to post the second half of my interview with Clara on different textile sites. Argh!!

I am posting it here for your info.

https://claranartey.com/fine-craft-show-textile-art/

seasons of the marsh--winter

One of the many reasons I love doing craft shows is to listen to what the public thinks about a new quilt. Here's hoping they like "seasons of the marsh-winter"--that I just finished and I can't wait to show it at the Baltimore Craft Show this February 24-26 at the Convention Center. I'm Booth 1308.

seasons of the marsh--winter--32x72 inches--copyright Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

For discounted tickets:

1. Visit Eventbrite.
2. Enter 50% promotional code BWI2017GUEST 
3. Click APPLY. 
4. The discount was applied to your One-day pass (you will see the price will be discounted 50%)
5. Select quantity of One-day Pass
6. Click ORDER NOW. 
7. Complete your contract information: name, email and password. 
8. Click PAY NOW and you will be taken to a confirmation page.
9. You can download your tickets immediately and also are sent an email confirmation with a download link.

I hope to see some of you there.

getting ready for Baltimore

Ah--so much to do before the Baltimore Show February 24-26. I sure wish it would quit snowing so I could get down to the studio and make more quilts. Oh well. Soon I will be there--I'm Booth 1308. If you want to save on tickets, you can prepurchase one day half price tickets by going to Craft Council 
and using this code BWI2017GUEST


And to cheer up those like me dealing with a snowy Thursday, here's a sneak preview of some of my new quilts--I just got new images from my wonderful photographer John Polak. (My DH drove me to the local Post Office this morning as the snow was just starting so I could get them. Thanks!!!)  How lucky I was that it only snowed a bit last Thursday when I got the images taken.

Anyway, I call this one August moon--don't you love the rich warm colors of the sky against the brown of the ripening fields. Can you tell I grew up on the prairie where the sky stretched seemingly forever?

august moon--40x40 inches--2016--copyright Ann Brauer--image by John Polak

This is its companion quilt--autumn sun. I love how intense the rich brown colors of autumn are with hints of the deep blue sky.

autumn sun--40x40 inches--copyright Ann Brauer 2016--photo by John Polak

And one more. Those who follow me on Facebook or Instagram have seen hints of this triptych but it sure looks better in its formal portrait, doesn't it?  Each of these quilts are about 12 x 60 inches and I will sell them separately or as a set. Just think of the many different ways you could display them.

marsh moon--12x60 inches--copyright Ann Brauer 2016--image by John Polak

Well, I hope that gives you a sense of some of my new quilts. I'll try to post more in a few days. Meanwhile tomorrow is the studio when I try to get more work done!!!

Baltimore postcard

I love the fact that the American Craft Council now gives you a template with their log so you can design your own postcard. Thanks to the help of my DH, my cards are now being printed. Great idea, Craft Council. Hope to see some of you there.  For more information:  Baltimore Craft Show.

Here's the front. What do you think?

Baltimore postcard Copyright Ann Brauer 2017

 And the back.

Baltimore card--copyright Ann Brauer 2017

Now to get more work done.

no more excuses

Sometimes you know--you just have to start. Sure I have memorized the images of the space until I know the colors and the angles by heart.  I have played with fabrics shopping for new ones and more of those I know want to use. Thinking about what will work in those wee hours of the morning as I think about getting up. Sketching designs in my mind as I drive to the studio or finish some hand sewing. 

But now--the holidays are over. I have deadlines and no more excuses. I need to begin.  There are so many possibilities. So many questions of scale that I need to address. Sometimes though for me that best way is to just start. See what I can learn by working at this scale. Will it be like I anticipated? Are the colors going to be right? Will the shape and movement be right? What will I want to do differently? What are the technical issues of this scale that are different from smaller quilts?

Sure I have made quilts that are this size before. "Sunrise" was 30 x 80 inches. I know I can do that.

sunrise--30x80"--quilt--Ann Brauer 2015

My quilt "distant flame" was vertical and also about the right size at 36x80 inches although I fear that three of these quilts would be too busy for the space.

distant fire--36x80"--ann brauer--2015

There is also my quilt "blue dream". I love how organically the "grasses" stretch to the sky but I wonder how it will translate when each panel is three times as wide. Three panels with three separate grasses could be too much for the space. What will happen when each panel becomes wider and shorter. Will it still have the same grace or will it look boring as a block of color?

blue dream--38x100 inches--ann brauer--2015

This time the mission is to create three matching wall hangings in three different colors in my "flame" or "marsh grass"series to hang in an entry way. The colors of the space are soft and floral but also sophisticated. I don't want it to be too busy. There is a lot of subtle design in the space. But I also don't want it to be too subtle that it fades into the background. The three quilts that have been ordered are each to be about 32x72 inches. Size does matter. It will be important to get the flowing grasses within this concept and have the three quilts look unified together.

What about "marsh moon"?  I love the glimpses of light peeking through the grasses? If I use the same feeling of light in all three panels will that tie the work together? Granted it will need some work to get the size right? But what will happen when I make three of them in the colors of the rug? Like three versions of the day? Will it be too busy or will the detail work perfectly to complement the rug.

marsh moon--work in progress--about 36x60 inches--ann brauer--2016

Hmmm. Well sometimes the only way to find out is to start. There is a lot I will learn by actually making the quilt and seeing how it works. After all, the worst case is I have a finished quilt that is not quite right for the space but that has taught me how to think this big. Nothing wrong with that, is there? And I do want to get this order done before the Baltimore Craft Show in February. Oh so much to do, isn't there?

Now before I begin this blog series I want to alert my readers, this will not be a how-to post. My goal in this post--and indeed in all of my blogs--is not to show how to make a quilt just like mine but instead to suggest how I think when I am making a quilt--the questions I ask and how I muddle through to get the right finished product in the hope that some of these same questions and methods will help you make the quilts that you imagine and want to create.

It's a new day and a new year

It's a new day and a new year. I think there is a song that goes something like that. One of those ear worms that I can barely hear but I think is there. Finally though it is 2017.  Nuf said about 2016.

This is a blog about quilts after all. Now those who know me realize I am not great for setting goals or making lists. I don't do resolutions very well. Indeed I find that it just frustrates me since I can never live up to all my goals or resolutions. Instead I try to set out tasks. One task at a time. I get it done--or as done as it will be for now--and then move on.

One of the tasks that had been lurking over me for years has been a new web site. I loved my old web site--I could do it myself. It was simple to update and while it was not the most elegant web site out there, it had come to have a presence after so many years. Alas though Apple had quit supporting myself, it was not Google friendly and certainly did not work on Mobile devices. (Yes, I had had it for a l-o--n--g time.)

It takes time and energy though to update a web site. Sure I could have paid someone but let's face it--quilt makers don't earn a lot of money. Even if they have been in business for 35 years. At least I don't. I wanted to be able to update it when I needed to--not when I had the money and could hire someone to do it. And I had no clue what I wanted it to look like--even that takes time and energy.

So it sat on the back burner through the studio floating. The new studio. My new quilts. Until finally I could no longer do even the most simple updates. UGH!!!!

OK--time to take matters into my own hands and find a decent template system. One I could manage. That would be SEO friendly. And one where I could understand how to operate it. I tried first one template system. And tore my hair out. Then another that a friend had recommended--no dice. Finally I realized that I was thinking in the same language as WIX and opted for that. Now this is not an ad. Or even an endorsement. But for me it worked. It lets me add my Etsy shop which has been my saving grace throughout this whole experience. It even lets me add my blog post from blogger. I can do this.

So now--I can actually think about what I want to say in my blogs. And I do have a lot to say about inspiration and art. I haven't given my loyal readers input on the OOAK Show in December or my recent trip to Mass MoCA. (Now that was inspirational). I do have a lot of catching up with old friends and making new ones. New quilts to add to the web site. Work on it in my spare time.  And best of all I was able to bring over my old domain so it is still www.annbrauer.com.

Theoretically I can do this while preparing for the Baltimore Craft Show in February, the Paradise Marlboro Show in March, a wonderful gallery show of quilts I am honored to participate in this spring and of course the many events of the Shelburne Falls Business Association.

Which comes full circle to the concept that it is indeed a new day. Get the pun in the quilt.

Happy New Year. Together we will survive.

Finally.....

Yes, it is Thanksgiving Day. I do have a turkey to cook and a pie to make. But still I finally get a chance to update my blog with a few "new" images. Well, actually these were take by my wonderful photographer John Polak last March. Well, except for "desert days" which I snapped myself. Can you tell I have been going non-stop since then?

Still I have one more show--the One of a Kind Show in Chicago December 1-4 at the Merchandise Mart. This should be an adventure. So I decided to add images to my blog post (and even send a note off to my photographer to make an appointment after I return.) Don't we all need color and art in our lives right now?

First here is "two suns." I am not sure of the story of this quilt but I do love the colors and the exuberance.

two suns--quilt--ann brauer--2016

Then there is "prairie sun." Can you tell that I grew up on a farm in the Midwest and love the power of the sun against the horizon?

prairie sun--quilt--ann brauer--2016

"Ocean sunrise" has the reflections of the sun on the water. What do you think?

ocean sunrise--quilt--ann brauer--2016

Then there is "abstractions on the night". I am not sure of the story here either--sometimes I like quilts that express something that I can only ponder and imagine. Maybe you know what I was trying to say?

abstractions on the night--40x40 inches--quilt--Ann Brauer--2016

Finally there is my quilt "desert days". This is the start of a new direction for me where I create complex but simple quilts that read as landscapes. This quilt is already sold although I am working on a new one for the OOAK Show.

desert days--quilt--37x47 inches--Ann Brauer--2016--SOLD

So what do you think? An interesting progression from where I was at the beginning of the year to my more recent landscapes. Hmmm. If you are in the Chicago area, I hope you will consider coming to the OOAK Show. It should be fun.

For more information on that show, please visit their web site: http://oneofakindshowchicago.com/

I am Booth 5121 toward the back.

Then in February I will be doing the Baltimore Craft Show at the Convention Center. March sees me at the Paradise Arts Festival in Marlboro, MA. And of course you can also visit me at my studio in Shelburne Falls, MA or check out my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer

the quilts of Ann Brauer--blue hearts for February edition

It hardly see like February at all here. We just missed the snow that hit the mid-Atlantic states (I literally saw one flurry and a dusting about two miles south of my studio) and now we are having mud season if you can believe it. I guess you just never know do you. Anyway it allows me time to work in the studio. I am almost done with my orders and have started working on new quilts for Baltimore. I do love it when I get to show my new quilts off to visitors.

Here are a couple of them hanging up in my studio. What do you think?

Ann Brauer--quilt studio--2016

And of course I am trying to make more table runners and glass cases in the colors that keep selling. Don't you just love this blue one? Doesn't it remind you of spring?

blue river--13x40"--Ann Brauer 2016

In my spare time I have been looking through my studio finding older quilts that could use a good home. Many of them are tagged with a postcard that lists their new price. I must say I was feeling generous to my customers when I marked some of them down. The next time you are in Shelburne Falls you might want to drop by and see what I have. Meanwhile my friends up at Salmon Falls Artisan Showroom are having a blue heart sale February 12-15 to celebrate the opening of the Blue Rock Restaurant in their new home just up the hill from my studio. I reduced the price of my work up there by 20% since I need to replenish my stock but do come down to my studio and twist my arm if there is something you want that is not already on sale.

detail--blue city--Ann Brauer--quilt

My booth number for the Baltimore show is 1201. For further information about that show or to pre-purchase tickets check out their website http://www.craftcouncil.com  The website for the Salmon Falls Artisan Gallery is www.SalmonFallsGallery.com  And of course you can always check out my work on my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer 

May the rest of your winter have just the right amount of snow and sunshine and may the crocuses appear early and bright.

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?

Make Room video

I just received a link to the video that the American Craft Council did of the Make Room exhibit at the Baltimore Craft Show. Yes, that is my quilt--river of green--included in the Water section. I do hope you enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEGIxfqmqJc&feature=youtu.be

river of green--38x38"--Ann Brauer 2015

the turning of the season

Today is the Winter Solstice. Already the afternoons have added a couple of minutes--how nice. And soon--well in January, the mornings too will add minutes. Don't ask me to explain--I can understand it when I read about it--but not well enough to write about it.

For many there is a tenseness and anxiety of this season. The pressures of doing the right thing. The hussle and bussle of the shopping malls. I am so lucky. I will get to spend precious time with my DH and wonderful step-children. What fun it will be to spend time catching up on their lives.  Prepare a lovely meal for them. I know it will be lovely.

This is also the time of finishing orders and getting ready for Baltimore in February. Almost a spring show. I decide I must make my quilt "river of green." Although I have made it once, it is needed for the Baltimore Show and the perfect quilt to get me in the mood to be inspired again after spending the last month making the small accessories that sell this time of year.

I pull out the image of this quilt and study it. Yes, I have many of the same fabrics though I will never be able to recreate the curves and swirls of the fabric. This quilt has such a spontaneity when I made it and I must recapture this feeling. How hard it is to have planned spontaneity.

I made it last year as I prepared for Baltimore. New and fresh. The curves of the river anticipating the river that I would soon gaze upon when I moved into my new studio.

river of green--38x38"--Ann Brauer

Part of a series of new work I made last year for Baltimore. "Rainbow in the mist"--a finalist for the Niche Awards.

Rainbow in the mist--38x38"--Ann Brauer

"Dreaming the rainbow"--it sold even before the show. I was on a roll last year, wasn't I? Also a Niche Finalist.

Dreaming the rainbow--99x99 inches--Ann Brauer

What can I do this year? How can I top these quilts? Not something to overthink, I tell myself. One step at a time. Just do it. Make the quilt--green river. I cut out the greens and take a deep breath.

Green river--Ann Brauer

This is the key to the quilt.

Green river--Ann Brauer

The teals are a bit easier. Sure, I don't have all the fabrics but I can tell the essence of this quilt is the rich brightness of the fabrics. The blue must shine through.

Green river--Ann Brauer

Yes, there are the curves--although different than before.

Green river--Ann Brauer

I then check out the greys. Some the same and some different. I count and recount. Check. Not that it has to be matchy-matchy. But I do want it close. I pin it up and look. Yes, this is similar.

Green river--Ann Brauer

Now to sew it together and then to create new quilts that will grab the attention of the Baltimore customers and push me in a new direction. I sketch an idea. Wonder how it will look in the booth. Think I may try it soon. Hmmm. This could work. I imagine it in my booth. Does it meet my requirements--new, dynamic, a challenge. Fun.

How do you get started on a new project? Do you look forward to the start of the New Year? Is Winter Solstice for you the turning of the season? Will I see you at the Baltimore Show? The Paradise City Marlborough Show, the Hartford CT Show? But more of these later.

How long does it take?

Now one of the questions I know I will get asked all the time at the Baltimore Craft Show--yes, it is next week-end and my Booth is 4209--is "How long did it take to make that quilt?"

Such a good question. After all, the questioner may be genuinely interested or at least they want to talk. Why, after all, do people come to Craft Shows? Sure, some of them want to see what a particular artist is doing. Or they may have an empty wall--a gift to give--a special occasion. Or they may just be tired of winter. Aren't we all? But many I believe come because it is fun to talk with the artists--what were they thinking when they made the piece? What is their process? Just that glimpse of our lives. And quite frankly it is an honor to try to answer their inquiries.

But this question is always such a hard one answer. Sure there is the basic reply--how long did it take to sew the quilt? Yes, the construction is a factor. After all, quilts do not just sew themselves even though I wish they did--sigh. And there is lots of finish work that people don't even think about. It took me a couple hours just to baste the Velcro onto the back of my most recent quilt for hanging. Boring.

rainbow quilt--40x40 inches--copyright Ann Brauer

Time to clean up the loose threads. Even time to pack it into the back of my van so I can take time to have its image taken by my wonderful photographer on Friday. Thanks John Polak for rescheduling.

But then I decided I had to try to make just that one more wall hanging--or is it a table runner--for the Baltimore Show. I loved the central rainbow in this quilt and thought it would look fabulous as a quilt to draw people into my booth. Yes, that is always a consideration, isn't it? And hopefully it will impress people.

Now I had previously made other long wall hangings so I did know what I needed to do to start the piece. These were experiments that I had done in 2012. They took a lot of time of course.

rainbow river--12x80"--Ann Brauer

I already had chosen many of the colors from the quilt I just finished--does that count in the new wall hanging?  Indeed I had used the colors in my quilt--rainbows of the dawn. Does that thought process count?

rainbows of the dawn--45x45"--copyright Ann Brauer

Or going back to rainbows of summer. You can see the theme here can't you?

rainbows of summer--99x99"--copyright Ann Brauer

I just had to stop by the fabric store the other day to get a few more pieces of orange--always a hard color to find.  Yes, many of my orange fabrics were actually gifted to me by my sister after I lost my studio in 2011. I think of her as I use them. But that is another story and still I need more.

Yes, this wall hanging should have a bit more blue with just a hint of green than the finished quilt, shouldn't it? So I get those fabrics out. Search for just the right dark teals and greens. Then I cut lots of strips of fabric to begin. My sewing table looks a mess. How will I find the color I want? Time here too. And let's not even discuss the process of putting the fabric away when I am finished. Not my favorite activity.

So I start. The first few rows are the hardest. After all I have to sketch out how the colors are going to transition. And there is always the question--will it work? Am I taking on too much? I pin it up on my design board and study it. More time.

rainbow runner--copyright Ann Brauer

You can see how long it is on my design board. I had to stand on my chair just to pin it up. Well, I want to get it done so I add more and study again.

rainbow river--copyright Ann Brauer

Yes, the colors are progressing. Sure seems like it takes forever to sew this. And of course I have to iron after every seam. Cut more fabric. Do I need a larger choice of reds? What about the purples? Always I am searching for more. Then I try to figure out the borders. I want something to make it more than just a color study. In case you haven't noticed I am into blacks and greys.

Of course the day is getting late. There is not really enough light for a good image so this is just a sneak preview. And that is where it sits. Waiting for the snow to end so I can make it into the studio and finish the sewing. Then it will be on to the bindings and the Velcro. Cleaning up the quilt.

rainbow river--copyright Ann Brauer

But what is the answer to the question that started this blog? How long? Does it go back to my early color progressions of 30 years ago? And what influenced me to begin making quilts in the first place?
Do you get that same question? How do you answer it? How should I answer it?

And will I see at least some of you at the Baltimore show? For tickets and more information:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-american-craft-council-show-in-baltimore-tickets-8022827493 and using this code BWI2014GUEST. I am Booth 4209.