what an honor--day 8

One of my proudest moments was when I received a call from a woman who had purchased one of my large quilts over 30 years ago. She had only a small glimpse of it in hanging in their living room in a picture of a gathering she had held but still I recognized it as mine from the days I did color studies of log cabins.

The customer told me she cried when she realized that the old familiar quilt was removed. But it was time to redecorate and they wanted me to make a new quilt for the updated space. Stop for a moment and think about that--after living with my quilt for 30 years and it was a large piece--they trusted me to make a new quilt to fill the space and give them the same sense of joy and home.

prairie sunrise--quilt--Ann Brauer 2016

It does look good there, doesn't it? Don't you love the modern but friendly feeling of this quilt with the red in the sky echoing the red in the rug?  Doesn't the room look like it will host many more gatherings for the next 30 years? What do you think?

The fire within

Finally I have a chance to do a bit of new work for Baltimore. For those who have been following my work, this year I do have a quilt--river of green--in one of the special displays in the show. Yes, it even made the magazine. How sweet is that?

river of green--38x38"--Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

So I wanted to make a few more quilts based on this flowing river. Of course I needed a large quilt. This one is tall--about 9 feet tall to be precise.

blue fire--Ann Brauer 2015

blue fire--Ann Brauer 2015

Then a bit of repetition. Aren't they wonderful?

purple fire--quilt--Ann Brauer

More games.  This one can go either vertically or horizontally.

long hanging--13x80"--Ann Brauer

Or horizontally.

long hanging--13x80"--Ann Brauer

But do I have to limit myself to these colors? Instead I decide I must try red with a hint of chartreuse. I start.

red fire--quilt--Ann Brauer

Don't you love that initial curve? What will happen?

red fire--quilt--Ann Brauer

It grows.

red fire--quilt--Ann Brauer

And grows.

red fire--quilt--Ann Brauer

Now what shall I do? Don't you just love how this quilt gives me inspiration for so many other possibilities? Oh I have so many quilts to make. So little time. Baltimore is February 20-22. I am Booth 1207. For more information, do check out their web site
http://shows.craftcouncil.org/baltimore where you can purchase discounted tickets.

the quilts of Ann Brauer--the good news, bad news move

Well I did it. Or at least the first half of it. Yes, I have moved my work out of 6 Bridge Street with the help of my DH and a couple of great friends. Yes, I will be sad to leave this space I called home for almost three years. And yes, it does look a bit empty and vacant. Oh well.

And we did manage to get my quilts into my new studio at 2 Conway Street. Yeah!!! But--for the bad news. Of course they are not finished at 2 Conway Street. Isn't that always the way it is with construction. I do confess that with my possessions coming in I have never seen so many trucks working there to get it done. Sigh. Yes, I feel a bit like one of those reality TV shows where they build a home in seven days. Workers all over the place. The anxiety of getting it complete. Except as I remind myself frequently, at my studio every one is working with all deliberate speed. The studio looks wonderful. Even the railings on the walk were hand built to just the right size and look spectacular. And the contractor, the crew and all of the subcontractors could not be nicer people to work around.

So I must be patient just a tad longer, I guess. I know I will be open for Riverfest which is the Saturday after tomorrow and should be ready for a few visitors by Monday. (My neighbor Lamson and Goodnow--the knife and kitchen supply store is having their annual tent sale then just in case you needed added incentive to come to the Falls. I even have another new neighbor--it is going to be a tea house/coffee house boutique just a couple houses down from me. Conway Street is hopping.)

And for those who want to see more, I have been going through my quilts as I pack and putting more of my old favorites on Clearance. That's what moving is all about, isn't it? So if you are interested--check my Etsy shop and keep checking back. http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnnBrauer  Once I get unpacked, I may find even more quilts that can be moved out.

rivers of autumn--quilt--45x45"--Ann Brauer

Finally I am hoping as I settle in to post more images of the space. If I can pull it together, the grand opening will be at the end of June. I will send out invites once I confirm it.

Well, enough for now. Do wish me well. I hope your spring is absolutely wonderful.

Ann Brauer
2 Conway Street
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

413 834-3576(cell)
ann@annbrauer.com

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.

getting started

One of the interesting and unexpected results from the articles I have written recently is that I get asked questions about aspects of quilting that I usually do automatically. For instance, I recently received an e-mail asking how I get started on a quilt. How do I organize my fabrics? How do I choose which fabrics to use? Do I cut out everything first?

Nope. For me the process is simple. Not easy but simple. Now obviously you find other ways of doing this but this is how I do it. And yes, it was interesting to stop and think about it rather than just doing it.

Now, I have an order to make a quilt similar to ancient light but more golden for a wonderful customer. You may remember this quilt. A color progression with blocks or windows of light shining through.

But what colors to use? I always tell myself to start with what I know. The quilt will take on a life of its own as I work on it.

I pull out my boxes of fabric. No, I don't spend a lot of time sorting the fabrics. I just put them in boxes in some form of relationship to the basic color of the fabric. Often it is just groups of fabric that I used on the last project. Why spend time sorting when I am going to look through the box again?

Then I sort through this box depending on the color I am going for. I pull out all the colors that might possibly work.

Some I reject because though the background color is just what I want the print may be too busy or have the wrong colors on it. Purple flowers just won't go with this quilt--alas.

I always know my reject pile is much larger than the ones I choose to use. And even for the first block I will need about 8 fabrics. Since there will be five blocks in this row and I don't want to just repeat myself this is a LOT of fabric.

I cut the fabrics into the wedges I am going to use for this quilt. This lets me again think about the colors. Wonder if there are any other fabrics that will work. Maybe in the yellow boxes there will be something. Is there an orange or a grey that may work? I do spend time searching for just that little snippet that will make the quilt. And yes, I save all the wedges that I cut and go through this box also. You do never know, do you?

If the pile of wedges is too big, it takes too long to go through and find the piece that I know will be just right. If it is too small, then I spend too much time cutting more wedges.

Finally the fun begins. I choose two fabrics to start and lay them on top of the batting. This is some ways does actually determine what the final quilt will look like.

Finally I get a row done and pinned onto the wall. Looks so small and insignificant doesn't it after all that work. And then repeat and repeat and repeat the process until it is done.That's it. Simple though not always easy.

So how do you start? What tips can you share?

I can do anything you can do....

OK--this seems to be the summer of putting one's thoughts into song. You know the dueling musical ads of Presidential politics. No, I won't go there. Yes, I have definite views which my astute readers have probably figured out but this is a blog about quilts.

Instead the song that has been going through my mind is the one from Annie Get Your Gun--you know where she sings "I can do anything you can do better" and ends with a triumphant "Yes, I can. Yes I can. Yes I can."

Great music to have running through your mind as I try to make a really long table runner using my thing piecing. One of those ideas that I had been dreaming of for years until finally at five one morning I figured out how to do it. And I decided I just had to see if my idea worked.

Just do it as another famous ad would say.

And that is what I did. "Yes, I can." "Yes I can." "Yes I can." If you know what I mean. Yes it is 80 inches long. What do you think?

It could also hang over a bed, couldn't it? Or a sofa.

 What do you think? Why do I get inspired just before a craft fair? Do come down to see me at the Guilford Craft Show if you are in the area. Of course now I want to sing that song from Peter Pan--you may remember the lyrics--"I got to crow."

getting back on track--she's a fighter

The bend in the road--Ann Brauer--2009.

Isn't it interesting how we use our own stories to add meaning to works of art? Is it fair to the work of art or even the artist? I don't know. Are we missing something by doing this? Again I don't know.  But when I first saw she's a fighter by the very talented Kirsten Stingle--I thought it was such a sad piece. Look at it:

It is maybe four feet high--a trophy of the fighter--looking in my opinion--exhausted. Battling the world--or so I thought. This is the image from Kirsten's web site--worth checking out for all of her wonderful works. Aren't they wonderful?  http://kirstenstingle.com/index.html

I had to know more. Why was she so tired? What was Kirsten saying? What could I learn from this? Now I confess I had seen her work before--of course. We had done shows together and I had walked into her booth. But now she was across from me at the Baltimore Show and I got to really study it. Just look at the detail--it is sculpted ceramics with found objects. Amazing work, isn't it? These snapshots are by me--taken and posted with permission of course.

Kirsten of course has a theater and dance background as you can tell. This piece began with the boxing gloves. Perfect aren't they? Then there was the ribbon--a bit hard to see--but it says Bantam Weight Champion. Isn't the color wonderful?

The shirt is actually sculpted and painted clay. As Kirsten told me she had to have the ribbon before she knew the colors of the outfit. What detail there is here. What great use of color and technique.

 "But why is so so sad, " I asked Kirsten.

"Oh no, she is not sad at all", Kirsten replied. The markings on her eyes and lip are just how Kirsten accentuates her features--can't you see the theater background there.  And the hair is one of those iconic images that Kirsten uses frequently. Almost an armor.  OK--I felt better.

As Kirsten went on to explain, the woman was not sad all. Indeed, she thought of her as a fighter who fought with Grace and Patience.  Maybe Humor was there. I forget the other positive sayings on the boxing gloves but you get the picture. All those positive methods we have long been taught to use.

And, tucked away in the back of the figure--in a location that I could not take an image of--but the key to the entire piece--she also fights with a bit of the B**** word. Her secret weapon.

Isn't this the answer? The lesson learned from this piece and indeed an important lesson in life--that we fight as hard as we can with all the graces that we have but if push comes to shove and you need to use it to get by--then just a hint of the B**** word in our back pocket can see us through? At least that is my thought for the day--what do you think?

after all, I am a craftsperson

I remember years and years ago--I was at one of those very prestigious craft shows inside a large convention center. This was back when booth fees were much more affordable and they wanted people to have L-A-R-G-E booths. So I had sprung for a 15 x 10 foot space which used every piece of display I had to create my booth. For those who don't know, my booth is made from 1" steel pipes that very cleverly snap together with some connectors designed just for this purpose. It is a wonderful strong system that does not sag under the weight of my quilts but the one drawback is that it is not very flexible. The booth must be made with right angles and must be the size of the pieces. So 15 x 10 works great, 14 x 9 requires a lot of thought.

Anyhow, this particular space had a huge supporting pillar--about 3 feet by 4 feet right in the back corner of the booth.  I did not have the display parts to deal with this pillar so I asked one of the very friendly volunteers if there was anything that could be done. Her answer was so cut and dry it has always stuck with me.

"No," she said. "Nothing can be done about it. But," she added with a smile, "you are a craftsperson and I am sure you will figure it out."

And in fact I did. I jerry-rigged some method of tieing the booth together and taping a curtain over the offending pillar--I forget exactly how but remember lots of duct tape and bungee cord--and I had a great show.

Needless to say, this is a skill that I have had to use more than once.

The last couple days as I was getting the  new studio ready for a "soft" re-opening I found that my  coping skills lacking. Little things wore on me. The young reporter--who was herself overwhelmed by the numerous tragedies of Irene in West County--and many are far worse off than I am--asked me one too many questions that showed she did not know how hard I was working to set up the new space. The friend who wanted to sell me something. You must know the feeling. Hey, I even started to hold a pity party for myself--and trust me, I don't like pity parties--especially when I am the hostess. Time to snap out of it.

I needed my quilts up. I needed to be open for business. The new studio had been so lovingly cleaned by volunteers--both wonderful old friends and new ones that I have made. Sure there is a ton more to do. The floor needs lots of TLC. Storage space needs to be in place. Lights. But that could wait. I just needed to get the quilts up. Display the smaller items.  But how?

Sure, I had received a wonderful grant from CERF+--do check them out--such a marvelous caring organization.  My friends had out-done themselves. How lucky I am. I had even pre-shopped for used furniture that would look great in the space.  The new studio is half the size of the old. That will come in a few weeks.

But I wanted to be open NOW. I needed to be sewing NOW!!! That is after all, how I stay sane and cope with life--or at least as sane as I normally am. So when a friend said, "You are a craftsperson. Use your booth display furniture for now," I realized she was absolutely right.

Why not. This I know how to do. This I have been doing for so many years. So I enlisted yet another friend to help me hang my quilts. Set up my booth furniture and tables. Put out the table runners and purses that I had taken to the craft fair. Made a stack of the placemats that had not sold in Evanston. Don't want to do it for long, but not bad for now, is it?

Now I can sew. After all, I didn't have flood insurance--only two people in town did, FEMA does not help small businesses--GRRR--I had not known that before, and I am not sure I want a loan from the SBA, so the only way out is to make the very best quilts that I can. There is a tax write off for losses--I just need the income to write off . I need to make the orders I have received.

And though the studio still looks unfinished, I can now see there is a bit of normal in my life.

And you what do you do when life takes that unexpected turn? Whether it is health or family or business? How do you stay sane? Return to normal? If you are a craftsperson or an artist, how do you return to work?

the new kitten

I know I haven't published a new blog post for a few days.  Don't worry I have a good excuse. You see, my DH and I decided we just HAD to have a new kitten. There was this little grey kitten advertised at our local shelter--so cute. I was immediately in love. And--for those who don't already know--I do have the best DH. So if I wanted it, yes, we should get it. The Animal Shelter--a very good animal shelter--was also delighted. For no reason related to either the animal shelter or to Tonks--she had been at the shelter for half of her entire life--and she was going quite bonkers in her cage.  I mean, the shelter tried so hard to keep her entertained but there was only so much they could do after all. Cute though isn't she?

But what we didn't know--until we got her home--was that not only was she  glad to get out of her cage--she ran wildly around the house for hours just stretching her legs after all--but that having been in that cage for half of her little life there was just so much for her to learn. What could she do? What should she do? Every fly or wad of paper was a new adventure.  Her first attempts to jump up on the sofa were quite funny, actually.  Almost-- but not quite--and she would slide off onto the floor. (Yes, I am a cat lover and I would rather cover my sofa than not have my cats on it.) What was safe? What was not a good idea? So much to learn all at once?

And this is where the blog actually begins talking about quilts and not kittens. Yes, I really do make quilts--if only to support my love of cats.   For I just got back from a craft fair where I got told over and over again how they were going to make a quilt just like mine.  I always get told this. Then I just got an e-mail from a lovely woman who had actually seen my quilts--she was trying to make her own wall hanging for her living room only it was much harder than she thought. Where to begin? She had a vision but it was harder than she thought.

I got to thinking about the whole concept. How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

Practice.

How do you make a quilt?

Practice.

Start small. Make one area of the quilt that you envision over and over again until it has become what you want. Then make the next area. Study, read, observe. But always keep practicing.  Isn't this just  what Tonks is now doing? Practicing jumping up on the sofa over and over again until she can do it without thinking. Learning where she should go and where is not safe. Learning the signals of my voice. Good Tonks. No Tonks. Down Tonks. I think of the Japanese potter Hamada who--when asked how long does it take to make a pot--answered in all seriousness--a lifetime.

At least that is how I learn. And how I hope that Tonks will learn. Already she can make the sofa without thought. And even sometimes she just lies down and rests.  And you--my reader--how do you learn to make a quilt? What advice would you give? Any thoughts on taming the wild kitten?

is it okay to actually use your art quilt?

Sometimes it seems to me that the simplest questions can be the most loaded, if you know what I mean. This time I get an inquiry from an interior decorator--"Do you make quilts for beds?" she asked. "Of course," I reply. After all, isn't that why people originally made quilts--to cover their beds. And certainly that is the reason that many people still make quilts. Just go to your local quilt guild if you don't believe me.

And yet, when I do a craft show I inevitably get asked again and again if my big quilts are meant to be placed on beds. Now most of these are just questions--making conversation. Speaking with the artist. No problem there really. Hey, I even have people who hang my potholders as wall art in the kitchen. Fine by me.

But when I wrote a blog post about a quilt I had made that the couple envisioned as either hanging on a wall or being used as a bed quilt, I received lots of e-mails advising me in all sincerity to not mention that the quilt might actually be used. I was told that I was hurting the Art Quilt movement by suggesting that the quilt go over a bed. Even devaluing it!!  These are not supposed to be your grandmother's quilts, after all. You can read the bog post HERE.

I got to thinking about this question. Now about half of my large quilts are put on beds and half are hung on walls. Nothing wrong with that. The quilts on walls certainly do look great--the colors blend from a distance. And I certainly know that not everyone can afford one of my quilts on their beds. But shouldn't it be an option? Does it make it any less a piece of art if it is actually used?

Blue hills is used on a bed. The couple wrote me that sleeping under it every night is like sleeping in the gentle calm of the ocean. Nice, isn't it.

Dreams of the dawn is hung in a large office entry way. But the companion quilt--dreams of the sky--is on a bed. The gentleman who owns it told me it is the best piece of art he owns. He uses it every day.

I think of other examples of art. Isn't the design for Central Park art even though it is used every day?
What about the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC? The lamps of Tiffany? Certainly they are not meant to just sit there--unplugged? Or an outfit by Chanel--would you just hang it up and never wear it? Indeed I wonder if the problems that the homes of Frank Lloyd Wright have in usability--I assume that is a word--may even detract from their artistic nature? Just a thought.

So why shouldn't we make art quilts that are put on beds? I glance through a magazine for interior decorators that specializes in fiber for interiors. Lovely rugs. Great pillows. But the bed covers are chenille bed spreads. Comforters with large designs. Throws. Lovely beds--but isn't there something missing? Such a large empty canvas that could be covered with art.  Are we as artists losing an opportunity?

Now certainly making a quilt for a bed does have specific requirements. For instance the quilt must cover the bed. The design must look great on the bed.  How does it drape over the edges? What does the design look like as you approach it? Does it co-ordinate with the bed itself? There do need to be concerns for durability in terms of the materials and techniques used. But that can't limit the nature of art can it?

So what do you think? Do you make quilts that can be used on beds? Do you use a quilt on your bed? Are we missing an opportunity or is this sacrilegious?

if you want to write....

A couple days ago I was listening to a great interview on the Diane Rehm Show. This time it was with the novelist Edna O'Brien. Now I must confess that while I had heard her name--I knew almost nothing about her or her work. Sure I must have seen it in passing--but recently I haven't been reading that many novels. But of course Diane is so considerate and thoughtful, I had to pay attention.

I learned that she is an Irish novelist known for her books that explore the inner lives of women and her memories of growing up Catholic in Ireland. She wrote her first novel The Country Girls in the course of three weeks--only to have it banned by the Irish clergy. Indeed her own mother had taken a black pencil to the copy that Edna had given her and crossed out all the obscenities. Fascinating story and wonderful use of language. You can check out the interview HERE.

Now listeners can call in during parts of the show and ask the guests questions. Of course there was the inevitable question from an aspiring author who wanted advice on how to write a novel and get it published. Edna's advice was so succinct and perfect:

                                                 If you want to write, write.

Simple. But not easy. Basically the equivalent of that slogan we all know-- "Just do it." Don't write for others, don't write assuming that you will get published. Just write. Put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard as the case may be. Just do it.

At lunch that day I was leafing through my latest copy of American Craft. There was an interesting editorial by Monica Moses--the new Editor-In-Chief--in which she also discusses the desire that we all have to make things. Indeed she hypothesizes that customers come the the American Craft Shows in part because they want to live vicariously through the work of different craft artists. They want to think that they can make something like what they are seeing. She advised the readers to actually take the time to make something. Take a class at Haystack. Use your hands.

Now if I stopped writing this post here, everyone would agree with me. Great idea, Ann. Yes, we should all make something. And quite frankly I do agree that we need that pleasure of creating things by hand. Indeed I wrote about that very concept in my post and the power of the hand HERE.

But--and you knew there would be a big BUT--we also need to look at the work of the many fine craftspeople as also being art. It is not just the fact that they are making something with their hands, but also the fact that the art they are making can take us to a new and different place. Give us new insight into how we perceive the world around us. Startle us. Amaze us.

When I go to the opera, I do not think that I could be on stage singing that aria. No, I marvel at the subtle range of emotion that the voice can convey from the softest whisper to the greatest tumults of human emotion. When I hear the symphony perform Mahler, I get taken to a deep place within me--emotions that don't have names are stirred within me.  When I walk across the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, I don't think that my garden can look like that.

And when I go to a fine craft show or a gallery or a museum, I don't think I can make that a sophisticated glass vase like my neighbor Ed Branson does that dances into the thinnest of points.  I don't think I can create the complex woven baskets of my friend Kari Lonning that create spaces of the imagination inside and out. I don't even think how to recreate the simple but complex quilts of Erin Wilson, even though I might have the technical skills to do that. But I don't have her vision, her sense of color and design, her originality in the countless designs she creates.  Instead I enjoy the sweep of color and the intricate possibilities that she conveys.

Yes, we do need to make things--whether it is craft or cooking or gardening or whatever--but I think that we also have to allow ourselves to go beyond that feeling of doing it yourself to maintain that awe of what the human spirit can accomplish. How much one person can explore the intricacies of the human emotion and condition by delving deep into their own selves?

As Edna O'Brien said, write if you want to write. Write for yourself and see what happens. If you want to make a craft, take a class, learn the skills, do it. Enjoy yourselves. But don't let that interfere with your appreciation and marvel at the human potential. At least that's my two cents, I would love to hear what you think.

complicated, complex, complete

Maybe it was the buds on my lilacs.  Or the last greys on the hill across from my studio waiting for the explosion of green. Was I saturated with forsythia? Or was it the drizzle that morning? Does it even matter? I sort through my fabrics hunting for inspiration. A new quilt to make to fill the empty spaces on my studio walls. You must know that time in between projects--before I begin the next big quilt.

I have a vision--a quilt in those off colors of reds and mauves, greys and taupes. Warm but not bright. Haunting in the complexity. There is something about those colors without names--those tertiary colors made with a bit of grey, some blue, just a tad of yellow. You know the ones--you see the paint chips with the complex formulas. The prints--just so perfect and complete.

Interesting words--complex, complicated, complete. Similar and yet so different. The prefix com just means with. That's simple.  "Complex" from the French to weave, braid or twine. Perfect word for fiber isn't it. "Complicated" is from the Latin--folded, confused, intricate. That makes sense also. You can check it out here. But "complete"--also from Latin--means to fill, fulfill, finish as in complete the legions. You can check it out here. Isn't English fun?

The fabrics I buy for my challenges--often not sure what I will do with them. "But they look so great together," I tell myself. "I know they will work."  And then they sit there--sometimes for years.  This wonderful complex feather fabric. Just a slight hint of metallic. What was I thinking when I bought it? I don't even remember.  I know I have used it--there is only a quarter yard left.  Usually it is at the bottom of the pile--but this time it will be perfect, I think.

 

I pulled out the mauve and pale blue. So sophisticated. I just bought it--maybe last fall. I wasn't sure what I would do with it even then.  I know I thought about it for a week or two but I just had to have it. I haven't used any of it yet. Pulled it out a couple of times but it wasn't quite right. This time it will work. Looks like it belongs to royalty.  The print that looks like a batik but it is not. So soft in its colors. I have used just a bit of it--too soft for most of my quilts--but this time...

Rolling hills is just perfect for these colors. I have that long narrow spot in my studio that needs something. I know these pieces sell. But will it work with these colors. I piece a couple of blocks. Interesting how the prints work in this design. Do you see how the feather fabric works?

I like that bit of soft yellow. Oh this is fun. Using all those fabrics that have just been sitting there. The blocks become greater the more I make.

Not bad. These colors are interesting.  I sew it together.  Finish it. Haunting isn't it?  Complex colors.

Maybe now I will make one in greys and taupes. See what happens in colors that are almost no color--if you know what I mean. What do you think? Do you ever just have to work in certain colors even if you don't know the names for them?