one morning in march

Some quilts come together so easily. At least I have no memory of the struggles I am sure I had getting the fabrics just right. Sure I had to think about the different pinks and magentas. Were they too bright? Too warm? How did they work against all the wonderful greys?

I knew I wanted to capture that time before the leaves bud out but when there is just the hint of spring. The days are getting longer. The sky is a bit warmer. The ground is beginning to reappear after its winter sleep. Spring will come. What fun I had playing with the colors and getting the overall statement. What do you think?

one day in march--40 x 40 inches--quilt by Ann Brauer 2019

And here are a couple of details of the quilt showing the hints of pink and yellow sky.

detail--one day in march--quilt by Ann Brauer 2019

detail--quilt by Ann Brauer 2019

I like it so much I have it hanging in my studio over some pillows so I can study it frequently.

one day in march--hung in my studio--Ann Brauer 2019

I am trying to get ready for the Baltimore Craft Show this February 21-23 at the Convention Center. So much to do. So little time. For more information on the show check out their web site: https://craftcouncil.org/shows/acc/american-craft-show-baltimore 

This quilt is also in my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer

up down right left

Don't you love the quilts that can be rotated depending on your mood? Which do you prefer?

visions of autumn--40 x 40 inches--quilt--Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

visions of autumn--40 x 40 inches--quilt--Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

visions of autumn--40 x 40 inches--quilt--Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

detail--visions of autumn--Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

Summer sunrise

I decided to post 38 recent quilts to celebrate my 38 amazing years in business. The first one is "summer sunrise".  What do you think?

summer sunset--30 x 60"--Copyright Ann Brauer--Photo by John Polak

detail--summer sunset--Copyright Ann Brauer 2019--Photo by John Polak

detail--summer sunset--Copyright Ann Brauer 2019--Photo by John Polak

And now to add it to my website-- www.annbrauer.com --and my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer  Only 37 more to add but certainly my career deserves it, doesn't it?

and now the sun is shining--only 18 days

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday it snowed, sleeted. The wind blew. And I decided to stay at home rather than drive through the slush. So I didn't get a chance to get a new image until this morning. However, aren't these placemats perfect? The hint of warm sunshine against the grey of March. Wouldn't they make a great wedding gift? Or maybe you want to spiff up your own kitchen.

two quilted placemats--copyright Ann Brauer

At 13x19 inches I find them just the right size for most place settings.

Two quilted placemats--copyright Ann Brauer

And because of the polyester batting, they can be washed gently and dried at a cool temperature.

Two quilted placemats--copyright Ann Brauer

But I have had them for a while and they don't match most of the mats I am currently making. So I decided to reduce the price from $80 for a set of two to $45 for this particular group. Of course I won't tell if you don't. To see more images, they are listed on my Etsy shop here.

Count Down to Spring--Only 20 more days

Can you believe it--the Vernal Equinox is Tuesday March 20 at 12:15 pm Eastern Time. So soon. And yet so distant.  I want crocuses NOW. Not another Nor'Easter.  Oh well. Time for a spring cleaning.

I need to go through my studio and find the quilts have been here too long. Maybe part of a series from a few years ago. Not quite what I am making now. Maybe they were at a gallery. Or maybe they were a direction that I did not continue. Certainly when I do a craft show, I cannot take everything with me.  I only have a mini-van and a designated space. I need to present a concise statement of my current work so I don't overwhelm my customers. So some of these quilts hang around and become even more dated.

Anyhow, I decided this year that I will post one work a day at a reduced price until spring actually comes. Some will be larger quilts at reduced prices. Some will be smaller items that need a new home. When they are gone, they are gone. If they aren't gone by spring, I may relist at the regular price. I do like many of these quilts after all.

So here goes. The first quilt is aptly called "colors of spring." I love the colors and the simple lines of this piece. Wouldn't it look great against a white wall? Maybe in your kitchen or sunroom? It could even make a statement in your office or hallway? At 38x38" inches it will fit in so many locations. Hanging is simple as I have sewn strips of looped tape on the top and bottom.

colors of spring--38x38"--Ann Brauer 2014

Don't you love all the wonderful colors in these piece. Here is a bit of the detail of the work.

Detail--colors of spring--Ann Brauer 2014

And the wonderful blues in the quilt.

Detail--colors of spring--Ann Brauer 2014

Of course it is signed on the back. You can also see the looped tape for hanging. I will send you the matching hooked tape and strips of faux wood for hanging. It is simple.

Detail--colors of spring--Ann Brauer 2014

Anyhow, I have reduced the price from $625 to $375. If you want it, I listed the quilt on my Etsy shop here. https://www.etsy.com/listing/208562454 Or as they say, tomorrow is another day and I will have another listing as I wait for spring.

colors of summer

I have been thinking about my quilt "colors of summer" recently as I renewed its listing on my Etsy shop. I still love this quilt but at 45x60" usually I don't display it at craft shows or even hang it in my studio. Oh to have unlimited wall space--sigh. Instead it is waiting with other quilts at the studio for just the right person. And I do list it on my web site and on Etsy.

When I made it, I was working in the studio in exile as I call it now. My view was of the geometry of the Iron Bridge across the Deerfield River with a hint of sky. Amazing isn't it, how location can influence one's work?

I loved the intensity of the colors as the thin seams almost created a work that appeared woven, not sewn with wonderful complex texture and color. It was one of my series of rainbow quilts trying to capture all the colors of summer in one piece of art.  Even now I  gently touch the many rows of fabric and feel its substance. Still I smile at the artistic pun of a quilt that looked woven in more ways than one.

The top rows of the quilt came together readily as I remember but oh those bottom rows. What color would create the right feeling and ground the quilt. So many mornings I would wake up thinking of solutions--should it just disappear in smaller and smaller colors. Should it look like water? Maybe the teal should move into a chartreuse to really sing? I would pin fabrics up and pace as I tried to imagine the colors that would work. Then make test samples to try to solve the dilemma.

Finally I chose the bright green of summer grass and leaves. A complete landscape just perfect for the "colors of summer", isn't it? Don't you love how it grounds the quilt and makes it even more of a landscape.

colors of summer--45x60"--Ann Brauer 2013--photo by John Polak

To see more of this quilt do drop by my studio if you are in Shelburne Falls or check out additional images on my Etsy shop.  https://www.etsy.com/listing/172682064/quilted-wall-hanging-colors-of-summer?ref=pr_shop

it's always something

Just when I thought I had my Etsy shop organized and humming along getting ready for the holidays (yes, I do think ahead or at least I try to) Etsy comes along and makes a change. Instead of the five photos that I am accustomed to, I can now show my buyers TEN!!!!  I am sure they did it with the best of reasons. After all, the buyer can't really see the item except in the listing and so the buyer probably does want more information. At least that is their rationalization.

But TEN!!! images. What can I show? I have realized that I don't have any more of these wonderful green place mats. If I don't have them, it must be because they are popular so I make more. They are a wonderful color, aren't they?  Front. Back. Two placemats. Placemats with a plate. For me these are standard.

two green placemats--Ann Brauer 2017

I read the helpful tips. OK--maybe buyers want to see the inside of my studio. That works. I love my studio. I can also show them the outside. After all, it is a wonderful shade of green itself. That also works. Now if I had a nice table I could set it and show the mats in use but the truth is that I don't yet. So I read more suggestions. A work in progress. I do hand stitch the bindings. I can show that. Maybe next time I can show another detail of the construction. Who knows.

green placemats--Ann Brauer 2017

Customers do like to mix and match. That would be a nice image. Let them see what else they could order. Maybe I should do more of these pictures. That could be fun.

two green placemats--Ann Brauer 2017

But for now that will have to do. After all, I also need to make some more placemats. This time I think I will try burgundy. Another  color I don't have. They will look good with the green. I will have to see what other sellers are doing for images. More to think about. More to learn. It is after all, always something, isn't it? If you want to see my finished listing, it is here. https://www.etsy.com/listing/542491075/quilted-green-placemats-washable-table?ref=shop_home_active_1

What images would you add? I do welcome suggestions.

sweet--day 9

Checking my e-mail is always exciting. Usually it is the same old same old so to speak. But occasionally I get one of those lovely surprises.

When I make a quilt I do believe that it has a home--and it is just a natter of waiting until the quilt and its home find each other. This was certainly true of my quilt--sunrise.

I loved the simple but complex colors of the sun rising above the water. There was a wonderful graphic design to the piece. When I was making it, I had to concentrate to get the two sides to be similar but have enough difference that the quilt had a life to it.

At 30x80 inches it could look fabulous over a king size bed or a large sofa. It could be an accent on a hallway. However, the size made it more difficult to show at a craft fair as it would dominate the wall but leave a lot of unused space around it. It looked great when I hung it in my studio but again it commanded a large wall. So I waited.

Until this week-end when I got the e-mail. Ta da. My theory is proven true again. Soon the quilt will be in a new home although I confess I will miss its presence. Don't you love the light dancing on the water? And the reflections of the sun in the sky?  Isn't it a happy quilt?

sunrise--quilt--30x80 inches--Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

Thanks Etsy. I do love opening my mail. To see more of my quilts and check out my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauerhttp://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer

pillows pillows pillows

Pillows--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

Think of pillows. Warm. Soft. Inviting. A quick way to redecorate a room. And for me--the maker--they are a fun way to experiment with color and design. After all, it is just a pillow. It doesn't have to always match.

I like having them in the studio--they make the space look more complete. They are one of those smaller items that a customer can choose. And they do sell. Sometimes one at a time. Sometimes a customer wants to redecorate and chooses several.

I don't always notice when my stock gets low. After all, if I don't have them, they won't sell. Earlier this year I noticed that I had very few left. I had shipped a bunch off for an order on Etsy. Another customer realized that they needed a couple for their office decor. Something to comfort the people waiting for their services.

Time to make more. But what would the design be this time? Would each one be unique? Or what about a matched series where they would all coordinate? I love that challenge. Each pillow leads me on to new colors. New discoveries. I could keep looking at what I have and wonder what more I needed. How addictive is that? 

Green first--that was what one customer wanted.

Green pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

Then purple. People who like purple, LIKE PURPLE.

Purple pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

Then there is blue. And blue. Don't you love how different the two blues are?

Blue pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

French blue pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

Rust to coordinate with the other colors.

Rust pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

Brown always looks good against the blue, doesn't it?

Brown pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

And then there is teal--how dreamy is this? Doesn't it go with almost everything?

Teal pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

Oh there are so many more I want to make. I am working on a grey right now. Then I need a gold--that will be hard. Plum is obvious and fun. Then there is red--not too red. The lighter reds will be a challenge, I know but I can't wait. What other colors should I work on? How would you pair them up? What do you think? Do you ever work in series just because?

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.

the quilts of Ann Brauer--I ate too much turkey edition

Hope you had a great Turkey Day. We went on a wonderful hike with my amazing step-children, then ate far more Turkey than we should have (as well as of course the relish, the veggies, the stuffing and the pie--well actually we saved the pie for later--amazing as that sounds.) So much news this month, I will try to be brief. I just got my copy of Lovely Landscape Quilts by Cathy Geier. What a great job she did. Lots of lovely pictures and instructions for how to make some of them if you are hunting for a gift for the quilt maker in your life, you might want to check it out.  And yes there are a number of quilts of mine included in the introduction.

rainbows of autumn--45x45"--Ann Brauer

Today Friday is  the annual Moonlight Magic in downtown Shelburne Falls. This is such a great family event. There are street vendors, gorgeous candelabra, music, even a cookie sale.  I can't wait to see how lovely everything looks from my new/old view with the fresh coating of new snow we got yesterday. My studio will be open until at least 8. I do hope to see some of you there if only to see the new building. And yes, I am having a 20% off sale Friday through Sunday just because.

night sky--45x45"--Ann Brauer

Then it is on the CraftBoston next week-end for me. This show has now conveniently moved to the Hynes Auditorium and promises to have some absolutely wonderful finds--including Crafts for Under $100.   I have attached a discount coupon with more particulars and a coupon for $3 off your admission. Of course you must bring it for the savings.
https://www.societyofcrafts.org/cbholiday/holidayinfo.asp

Want more--the week-end after is the Morristown Holiday Show in Morristown, NJ. I've never done this show before but here there are some wonderful Treasures in an easy to get to location. To get Free Admission you do need to have a coupon for each person. Print it out and fill in the info for your admission. http://www.artirider.com

Can't make it to any of these events--I am having a 20% off sale on my Etsy shop through Sunday November 30. The address of my shop is http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer and the Code is MOONLIGHT2014 Of course the 20% off only applies to orders purchased during this time and does not apply to custom orders or previous purchases. I do keep trying to add items to the shop but if you don't see it, drop me a line and I will tell you if I still have it.

Then I have orders to finish and I must start getting ready for the Baltimore Show in February.  It is a good thing I love what I do, isn't it?

Hope you have a great holiday and a wonderful start of winter with just enough snow and cold. And remember starting in mid-December the afternoons do slowly get longer.

the quilts of Ann Brauer--summer will come

Ah today--the first Nor'easter of the New Year. It is named--oh so appropriately--Hercules. Don't you love how they are starting to name them now? For me I think the waiting is the worst. I went out hoping to make it down to the studio today but the snow was slick and I decided it really was not worth the risk so my pantry is VERY clean. Summer will come.

summer comes to the mountain--32x48"--Ann Brauer

Most days though I am working at the studio. Across the river I can watch the progress on the new studio. Oh is that exciting. It is now framed both inside and out, the slab has been poured and the windows are in place. I make it over there every chance I get and still have to pinch myself that soon I will have the best views in town.  I can hardly wait. And of course I will let you all know and hope that many will be able to come visit me in my new space. Until then you can visit me at my current space provided we are not having a Nor'easter or I am doing a craft show.

Meanwhile I am working as hard as I can on my orders--yes this weather has delayed me a bit.  I am also trying to get ready for the next few months. The Baltimore show is early this year--February 21-23.  I am Booth 4209. Of course I am trying to have lots of new work for this show including tea cozies. Perfect for today, aren't they?

tea cozies--Ann Brauer

If you are thinking of attending the Baltimore show you can purchase tickets for half price until February 20 by going to this web site
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-american-craft-council-show-in-baltimore-tickets-8022827493 and using this code BWI2014GUEST. I do hope to see some of you there.

Later in the season, I will be doing the Paradise City Arts Festival in Marlborough, MA in March and will do the Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show in April. But more about these in the upcoming months.

Meanwhile I have been adding stock to my Etsy shop. I will be the first to admit I was a bit wary of opening a shop on Etsy--there is definitely a learning curve--and I certainly do not have everything listed on the site--but I am enjoying the process of writing about my work for people who may not have seen it. It is also allowing me to take a step back and examine the body of work I have. Who knows what else I will learn in this process or how long it will work for but for now--do check it out if you get a chance and let me know what you think. Here is the web address:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnnBrauer

Well I have gone on a bit. Hope you all stay safe and dry and have a great New Year.