starting the rainbow

Now I don't know about you, but I find it hard to make a quilt based on one I have previously made. Sure I have already done some thinking about the quilt so you might think it would just be a case of finding the fabrics I used the last time and just using them in the quilt. It should just go together quickly--almost like a kit--right?

Well, for me it isn't so simple. First each quilt I make takes on its own personality. I can't really describe it but I have to get into that zone. Let the quilt speak with me. Then of course I am using so many different fabrics that if I don't have just one fabric, I have to rethink every thing else. Of course.
Finally there is the internal pressure I feel to make it just right. After all, I want to give the customer the very best quilt I can. I do feel this obligation.

In this case the quilt is rainbows of the dawn which I made a year ago. You may remember it. The colors flow and roll in lovely blues and purples with just that tiny accent of yellow that holds it together.

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

This quilt has a happy home. But it wouldn't have worked for the customer anyway. She needs a smaller quilt. More horizontal than square.  OK--I have to rethink that. It is also a quilt that I do not remember how I made. The colors just sort of flowed as I pieced it. And I am clueless as to how that happened. Ah, the magic of art.

This will be a challenge. But I know she wants the quilt. So I tell myself to start with the yellow. Shouldn't be that hard, right?  I cut out some of the yellows that I have and start sewing.

Not bad. But is it yellow enough?  A little too cool a color, maybe? Don't I need just a bit more warmth here? So I test some fabric.

Too red and busy isn't it? That will just dominate in a way that I don't have the space for. The yellow row will be just a hint in this smaller quilt. Each piece counts for so much more in a condensed quilt.

That works on that side doesn't it? Just a hint of warmth and pattern that cuts through the pale lemon yellow of the first wedges and highlights the greenish overtones of the swirling piece.

Yes, much more subtle isn't that? So I sew it together. And keep adding. One block at a time. Each one different but also based on the similar theme.

Yes, that will work. Enough bits of light to add sparkle. Enough warmth to help tie the quilt together. Time to start the next row. At least I have started. It does feel like such a long road ahead. But I tell myself--one block at a time. Here's hoping that it works.

How do you start? Do you find it hard to make a quilt based on another one.

the quilts of Ann Brauer--finally May

Sure spring has been very slow to come around here. The days are often cold and chilly. Even the forsythia seem late. But still I feel like dancing in the street. I just confirmed with my contractor that I can indeed move into my new studio at the end of May. How wonderful is that? I can hardly wait. Already the walls have been painted their first couple of coats of paint. So nice and bright it is inside with high ceilings. The views  of Mount Massamet are of course amazing. And yes, I am looking forward to watching the river flow by again.  The upstairs apartment is spectacular. (Yes, it is available for rent in case you know anyone interested.)

But enough for now. I of course continue to work at 6 Bridge Street. This Saturday is the first of the Art Walks in Shelburne Falls. I will be open all day from 10 until 8 so if you are planning on coming to Shelburne Falls do drop by and say hi. I know I will find even more old favorites that I don't want to move to tempt you.

Meanwhile my views have inspired lots of new work. Recently I have redesigned my placemats to create the feeling of a river flowing across your table. What a simple graphic design and of course I am getting inspired to work in lots of new color combinations. Aren't these blue and golden brown placemats great?

placemats--blue and golden tan--13x19"--Ann Brauer 2014

And of course the blue and brown table runner that sort of matches. Yes, I intensely over quilted all the browns in these piece while letting the blue river flow freely.

blue river against brown--12x40"--Ann Brauer 2014

Of course I have also made it in wonderful blues:

blue river--12x40"--Ann Brauer 2014

And the grey and paprika. I just finished a purple and grey--spectacular. Now I am working on red and mauve. Oh I could continue but enough pictures for now. I am gradually posting them on my Etsy site. www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer or if you need particular colors please just contact me.

Later this spring I will have the "opening" of my studio but if you are in Shelburne Falls, I will always make time to show you my work regardless of which studio I am in. Although do call first if you are coming from a distance just to make sure.

Enjoy spring.

one row at a time

Recently I was in my local Farm and Garden chatting with Pat--the very competent owner. As those who follow me probably know, I have a large garden. Lots of flowers. Mainly daylilies. Then there are also all the vegetables. The lettuce and peas. The onions. Basil. Tomatoes. This year I got some radishes. Spinach.

But April and May it always seems like an insurmountable task.  How will I ever find time to prepare the beds. Pull out the grass that invariable seems to grow over the winter. Add the compost. Plant the seeds and seedlings. Much less weed them. Argh!!! What am I thinking? Where can I find the time?

Pat asked how my new studio was coming along.

Pretty well, I said. I hope to move in May. Though how I will find time to do it is beyond me.

I know she said. I have the same problem especially this time of year. Isn't it amazing how one can never get everything done? Just do something. Keep going. One row at a time.

I thought of those wise words as I started my most recent quilt. It was an order I took some time ago. Wonderful people who have ordered before several time. They called last week. How was it coming along? Oops. Time to finish it, isn't it?

Now I know it will be fabulous when I get it done. But it is the process of getting there that will take some time. The quilt is based on this lovely wall hanging--or is it a table runner?

blue and yellow--Ann Brauer--2013

 

More traditional than many of my recent quilts. Indeed it is based on the courthouse steps pattern. But the colors give it the dimension. And it is popular. I had another order for one large square as a table topper which I just finished. Dramatic, isn't it?

blue and yellow square--20x20"--Ann Brauer

This order though is for one long quilt with nine blocks. It is to hang over a window in a particular narrow space.  Yes, that will take a while. You see this is another quilt as you go project. So I must pull up and tie off all the threads. One row at a time.

back of quilt--Ann Brauer

After all I want the back to be neat and gorgeous also. That is part of the process.

Well, there is no way to finish but to start and keep going. One block at a time.

block of blue and yellow--Ann Brauer

I guess that is a start. I pin it up next to the original. Maybe it will get inspired and duplicate itself. Nope. I think I just have to keep sewing.

progress--Ann Brauer

And sewing. And sewing. Finally some progress. Enough so I can at least play with the design. Which way to piece it together. This way?

four pieces--Ann Brauer

Or this way?

four pieces--Ann Brauer

What do you think? Only five more blocks to go. Then to join the blocks together. Do the bindings. Add the looped tape for hanging. What was I thinking? Will I ever finish? Meanwhile today I think I will prepare one more row in my garden. After all, isn't that how to get the garden planted?


And you--how do you tackle a large job? One that seems to go on and on. Forever.

the quilts of Ann Brauer--finally April

Dear all,

Finally it is April. This winter that never seems to end is finally ending. The snow is melting. Of course now we have mud--but that to shall pass. I even have a couple of daffodils just poking up through the ground. Soon flowers.

I am getting ready for my last show of the spring season--The Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show at the 23rd Street Armory in Philadelphia this Saturday and Sunday. I haven't done this show for a while but I know there will be some absolutely amazing hand built furniture. This year there are also five--count them FIVE--quilt makers. We all have different styles so it should be fun to come and check us all out.

I have been working so hard getting ready for this show. My latest addition to my quilts is an intense over-quilting which provides even more texture and substance to the work. Don't you love the simple design and the colors of this quilt--colors of the sky?

colors of the sky--quilt--Ann Brauer--2014

Another piece I am very proud of is "blue river in autumn" which I finished yesterday. Here is the wall hanging before I added the binding. Yes, it is long. About 76 inches long. I have intensely quilted the rust colored fabrics while leaving the blue river flowing freely.

blue river in autumn--12x76"--Ann Brauer--2014

Speaking of long. Yes, they are still working on my building. Yesterday they blew in the insulation to keep the place toasty warm. Soon they will start sheet rocking. Needless to say I can hardly wait. Patience is not my strong suit.

Well enough for now. I hope to see some of you at the Furniture Show--the discount ticket is attached below. For others, I do keep posting new items on my Etsy shop. www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer And I will be working in my studio when I am not at shows--although if you are coming from a distance I suggest calling to be sure.

When to hold them...

One of the reasons I love doing craft shows is because I can find out how people react to my latest quilts. Sure I don't make quilts just to please the public--puleeze. But let's face it, I need to sell my quilts if I am going to continue making them. And I am only going to enjoy making them if I make the quilts that I want to make. That is the conundrum.

So it was with great anticipation that I brought my latest work to the recent Paradise City Arts Festival. Those who follow me on Facebook--and a bit on this blog--will know that I  have been trying to make my work more abstract. To take it to another level. And after the Baltimore Craft Show that I knew I had to try to add over-quilting on some of my quilts. Now this is not as easy as it sounds. Some of the fabrics look too "country" if I dare say that when they are over-quilted. In other cases there were subtle variations in the colors that stood out in the simple designs in ways that just did not work. And of course there were the technical issues. But I worked hard.

I called the new pieces "fields" and saw them as both wonderful table runners and as wall hangings--either individually or in arrangements.

field of green--12x40"--Ann Brauer

Wouldn't they look wonderful staggered going up a stair case?

3 fields--each 12x40"--Ann Brauer

Or maybe a few over the sofa.

3 fields--each 12x40"--Ann Brauer

Oh I had fun making them. Even sold one out of the studio as I was working on the designs. I was optimistic--which I guess one has to be in this business.

Until I got to the craft show. Now don't get me wrong--it was not that people did not like them. So many crafts people came up to me and commented so positively on the new work. And their praise means a lot to me. After all, these are the most knowledgeable artists who have been following my work for more years than I dare to count.

But did I sell any of them? Nope. Yes there were some people who just had to go home and measure. Others wanted colors I did not have--browns and tans. Reds.  And there is the price issue. You see I had been making another table runner that I sold for less. But I have made too many of them. They are not part of the direction that interests me. And I really should raise their price a lot to justify making them.

river runner--12x40"--Ann Brauer

So what to do? I have one more craft show left in this series. It would be really nice to sell a lot of work at this show since this is my last fair for several months. You must know the problem. I spent the first couple days after the show filling orders. Nothing wrong with that. But then there was the question--should I make the older style that I know sells but doesn't interest me as much? Or do I have the energy to continue pushing myself to make a couple more pieces in the new work. Would that be a waste of time.

I spoke with another craft person about it as the fair ended. One of those people who has been doing shows forever. A person whose work I respect. He reminded me that it does take people at least a year to decide they want the new work. After all, my public has been looking at the older pieces for years--this is what they dream about for their home. But then he said, there will be a new audience that wants these quilts. I mulled this over. Still unsure what to do.

Until I opened up my e-mail. Yes, another of my minimalist wall hangings was included in a Treasury on Etsy. Now Treasuries on Etsy are fun--you get to curate a list of 16 items around a theme of your choice. Sure there is a particular look to these Treasuries. But it is a an interesting way to see your work in a larger setting. Looks good doesn't it?https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTI1ODI5NDV8MjcyNTkyNjMzNA/390


And I thought about my next craft show. It is the Philadelphia Invitational Furnishings Show. A show I have done years ago--it is still going on and I decided it would be fun to try it again. After all, furniture shows do bring in a knowledgeable and qualified public. It would count as my "new" show for the year--I always try to do at least one new show each year to expand my market. And wouldn't these furniture buyers want nice simple table runners for their new tables? For more information: www.philaifs.com  For your half price invite--just scroll down to the bottom of this post.

Worth a try. So I organized fabrics in browns--a nice color for all the amazing furniture I know I will see at the show. And started to sew. Yes, these are designs that I still think of as keepers. And in writing this blog I realized I do need to add these fields to my web site. That should be easy.

So how do you decide when to keep making a new design? How do you change your look? And when do you call it quits?

Just got to have fun!!

Sometimes it seems I make a quilt for a purpose. It is perhaps an order--or it will look good in my booth--or tis the season--or....  And sometimes I make a quilt just because I want to have fun!! That's been happening a lot recently.

You see I got inspired to test some machine quilting on top of the quilt just to see what happens. And I discovered if I choose the fabric carefully it adds to the quilt rather than making it feel confined. (Harsh words but that can happen, if you know what I mean.) Well one quilt led to another. And then I started mixing and matching.

But rather than telling you about it--let me show you some of the experiments.

field of first growth--12x40 inches--Ann Brauer 2014

Now one of the great things about these pieces if they can be used separately. Perhaps as a wall hanging for that long narrow spot.

harvest field--12x40"--Ann Brauer

Perhaps as a table runner.

field of teal--12x40"--Ann Brauer

But then they can also be used in arrangements. Think of that space over the sofa. And yes I just pinned these in place--they can be hung more formally is you wish.

three fields--Ann Brauer

Or going up the staircase:

three--Ann Brauer

Stagger this combination:

three--Ann Brauer

And then rotate it--why not?

three--Ann Brauer

Or maybe the colors should be switched again:

three--Ann Brauer

Notice the effect of the slightly darker yellow and the addition of the purple or plum. Oh I could pin them up forever and take their snapshots. But I have work to do. Each piece leads me to want so many more to play with. Isn't that why people love to shop from artists anyway--to get inspired and play with design.  I want to make all the colors of the rainbow. Maybe a green with just a tad more olive. Or another brown. Don't really have anything in the blue family yet. And the red family?

How many can I finish before the Paradise City Arts Festival March 21-23? Which ones will sell?  Will the public even enjoy playing with them as much as I do?  And if they sell at Paradise will I also have some for the Philadelphia Furniture Show April 4-6?

What do you think? Which ones are your favorites?

For more information on the Paradise City Arts Festival: www.paradisecityarts.com
The Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show: www.philaifs.com

And my Etsy shop has some under either wall hangings or table runners--check both places as I couldn't figure out where best to list them.
www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer

the quilts of Ann Brauer--is it a lion, a lamb or a snow leopard?

Dear all,

OK--it seems to me the big question is whether March came in like a lion or a lamb. After all, the first day of March warmed up here from the chilly teens to an almost balmy 32. And yesterday even hit above freezing. Only to plummet down to minus 7 tonight. Yes, I am ready for spring. Aren't we all?

That of course does not prevent me from working hard in my studio. After a good Baltimore Show I quickly got back to work and got inspired to create even more new pieces for the Paradise City Arts Festival in Marlborough, MA this March 21-23. For those who haven't been to this show, it is truly the beginning of spring for me. There is great music, fun art, and even places to sit and eat a light lunch as you figure out just what you want to see again. One of my favorite aspects of this show is that there is work that lust after and also work that I can afford. Anyhow, I am Booth 133. For more info and to get $2 off your ticket, visit www.ParadiseCityArts.com

One of my favorite new series includes these "field" strips. Are they table runners or wall hangings? Do you want to mix and match? Don't you just love the colors. If you look carefully, you will see that I have quilted on the top of the design too which creates a truly awesome texture. I am sewing looped tape on the top and bottom so you can create your own arrangement. Or just throw one across your table to create the feeling of spring. What do you think?

fields--12x40 inches--Ann Brauer

Meanwhile in my search for green--I am going to put my quilt "hidden lake" on sale as the Quilt of the Month. I do love this piece. I made it after hiking in the White Mountains with my DH a couple summers ago. Every time the trail would get just a bit tough and I wondered about going on, I would catch a glimpse of the hidden lake we were hiking too. This quilt is just off square--it is 45 inches wide and 43 inches long. After I finished it I realized this and that there was nothing I wanted to add to make it square so that is how it it. Normally the quilt sells for $1200 but for the next 10 days or until sold it will be $675 plus shipping and any applicable taxes. To be the first, either contact me directly or purchase it on Etsy.

hidden lake--43x45 inches--quilt--Ann Brauer

When I am not doing the show, I will be at my studio at 6 Bridge Street (weather permitting.) I also do continue to list work on my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer

Next month I will be at the Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show April 4-6. I will have some half price admission tickets for that show, so please e-mail me if you would like to receive one.

Thanks so much for reading.