the quilts of Ann Brauer--Frankenstorm edition

Well I hope everyone survived Sandy OK. If not you do have my most heartfelt best wishes.

For me the worst part was the wait. Yes, we stocked up on water, food, batteries. My DH rigged up a radio that ran off a tractor battery--he is indeed very clever. I made chili and chicken soup and apple brown betty. Our top wind was 48 MPH--yes a few windows rattled. But our power only flickered once or twice. Outside one 100 year old pine tree fell. Yes, I know--high class worries.

I had already packed my van for the Fine Furnishings Show at the Pawtucket Armory in Rhode Island November 2-4. While I have never done this show before it has a good reputation, the building looks fabulous and the show promoter has worked tirelessly. It is actually not that far from many places in eastern Massachusetts. Yes, this was the Providence Furniture Show but it moved a few miles away. For more information http://www.finefurnishingsshows.com

Then it is off to the Washington Craft Show at the Convention Center November 16-18. What fun it will be showing off my new work and display at a site which I feel was just made for this look. I am in Booth 602 so do look for me. For more information: http://www.craftsamericashows.com/WASH_main.htm

And in between I will be working very hard at the studio to prepare for CraftBoston in December at the Cycloramo. I also should have an article on doing the thin piecing coming out in Quilting Arts at the beginning of December.

Meanwhile do stay safe. I hope to see some of you in the next couple of months.

absorbing the colors

Yes, it is near the end of October. Sure I am busy preparing for upcoming shows: The Fine Furnishings Show November 2-4 at the Pawtucket Armory and The Washington Craft Show at the Washington Convention Center November 16-18. But still sometimes I just have to go outside and soak in all the lush rich colors of autumn in so many combinations, if you know what I mean.

So without further ado--since it is almost wordless Wednesday--what, me wordless .

And for more information on the shows:

http://www.finefurnishingsshows.com

http://www.craftsamericashows.com/WASH_main.htm

the quilts of Ann Brauer--legends of the dawn

Dear all,

I know. I didn't send my monthly newsletter last month.  But  I am still here. Still working hard. Indeed the reason was that I have been working too hard. As many of you know, I have been doing lots of experimenting with piecing very skinny strips of fabric. As those who have seen my eyeglass cases or pillows, these strips produce wonderful intense colors and textures that I just want to run my fingers over. I have also included them as accents in some of my wall hangings.

But after I returned from the American Craft Exposition in Evanston, IL I realized that I wanted to make a large--as in LARGE--size quilt using these thin strips. 

Finally--after coming in early and leaving late, I got the quilt sewn together yesterday. It is too big to snap a picture of the whole quilt in the studio although many who have seen parts of it have loved it. To some it seems very essential and simple. Yet others have noted that in its simplicity it is also a demanding quilt. There is definitely a substance about the back that enchants me.  I have decided to name it--legends of the dawn.

OK--I do have to show it off. Yes, it does look different from many of my quilts. Here is the bottom part of the quilt draped over two ladders.

Above the red stripe is a study in grey.

What do you think? An interesting new direction or not?

 If you want to see the whole quilt I will be at the Paradise City Arts Festival October 6-8 at the Three County Fairgrounds in Northampton. For more info or discount tickets do check out their web site: http://www.paradisecityarts.com If not at a show, I will be working in the studio most days. And in November I will be at the Providence Furniture Show at the Pawtucket Armory November 2-4 http://www.finefurnishingsshow.com and the Washington Craft Show November 16-18. But more on those next month.

And for those who sew--did you see my article in the most recent issue of Machine Quilting Unlimited--where I tell how I make the more familiar quilt as you go wall hangings.

Well, this e-mail has gone on forever. Please forgive me.  I hope to see many of you this month or next.

What was I thinking?

I don't know about you--but when I am working on a large quilt--and yes, this one is BIG as you may remember--I can reach a point where it feels like I have been working forever and still am not even close to being done. I mean, I go to the studio every morning as early as I can and start to sew. I keep sewing and cutting and thinking until the day is done. Then I go home exhausted and still it seems like there is so much to do. Sigh.

I do have the new quilt about 70% pieced for those who are counting and yes, I do measure it far too frequently. I even have it so I can hang it as I see it will be. Like this.

It still needs one more row of dark black at the top. Then the bottom strips need to be joined. And two more rows of dark black at the bottom to anchor it. Long long seams. And of course I have to square it off, press it, clean it, bind it. Argh!!!

Each strip is painting with fabric. After all I don't get this wonderful rich grey just by sewing the same strips together. That would just be sewing and that definitely does not interest me. Instead the quilt is rich with so many different colors and fabrics. Just look at this assortment.

Still I worry. Is it too rich with color? Will the design work? It is so simple. Did I make the right choices? Should I have gone for a more complex design? Should I hang it the other way?

And yet, there is no way to change it now. I just have to keep sewing and trust that I made the right choices and that this was all worth it.  Was it wise of me to spend so much time working on this quilt when I do have so many wonderful craft shows just around the corner? What do you think? Does this ever happen to you? How do you get things done?

THINKING B-I-G !!! the first steps

OK--every once in a while I just want to make a big quilt. You know, the quilt that makes everyone stop and look again. So beautiful, so all encompassing that people stop in the aisles and just go WOW. The quilt that defines the booth and makes it memorable among all the other great booths at the craft fair. After all, I have so many wonderful shows lined up for this autumn. The Paradise City Show in Northampton. The Providence Fine Furnishing Show in Pawtucket. The Washington Craft Show. What was I thinking? But I digress.

Now I have been working very very hard this summer getting ready. Designing and making these long rivers. Table runners or are they wall hangings? You may remember these. Eighty inches long.

Very thin strips of fabric. The colors much more intense in actuality than this photo shows. Somehow these could become part of a large quilt. Now when I make a large quilt, I want it to have more than one use. Sure, it can dominate a large wall. Or it can inspire a large quilt custom made for a particular space. Fine by me. But I also want it to cover a bed. Now, I know there are some quilt makers who shudder at this thought. How dare you put an art quilt on a bed? Isn't this reducing the value and implied importance of an art quilt?

Yet, think about it. Not everyone has a large wall but beds are basically a large space that can display art. Sure, if it is used, it will soften a bit and show the human touch. But on the other hand doesn't it allow the owner to really interact with the art on a daily basis?

Now if one is making an art quilt there are some considerations that are different from wall quilts. First and probably foremost, the construction must be substantial. I will be the first to admit that some art quilts just should not be placed on a bed. Second, there are some size considerations. For instance on a queen size bed, the top is 60 x 80 inches and then the cover frequently hangs down on three sides. Doesn't this need to be incorporated into the design?

Finally there is the look of the quilt. Sure, there are lots of wonderful classic and many new designs for bed quilts. But I want to make one that is distinctly mine. Modern. Wonderful colors. A quilt that I can see in a sophisticated home. Preferably with a designer bed. But fitting in to the idea of a bedroom as perhaps a restful place. A place of dreams and lingering.

So many things to consider. But sometimes you just have to start. So I sketch. Draw. Imagine in my head at five in the morning. And finally get the courage up and make the first long river. Wonderful colors. I pin it up on my design board and try out colors to co-ordinate with it.

Hmmm. What do you think? A story to be continued? Do you ever make bed quilts? Do you think art quilts should be made for the bed? How do you start? And perhaps most importantly--will I get it done in time for these shows?