memories of summer

Sometimes the title says it all. Think of that perfect day in summer--blue sky, the grass is green, the possibilities of the day are unlimited and yet there is no need to test the limits. I call this quilt "memories of summer". What do you think?

memories of summer--32 x 48"--quilt--Ann Brauer 2019

hot off the sewing machine

One of the reasons I love having a studio open to the public is that I get to test public reaction to my new quilts as I finish them. Now of course I don't always listen but sometimes it is reassuring when customers are immediately drawn to a new quilt. That happened this week-end with my quilt "suddenly spring" which I just finished. Aren't the colors wonderful?

suddenly spring--32 x 48"--quilt--Ann Brauer 2019

And hanging in my studio in Shelburne Falls.

suddenly spring--studio shot--ann brauer 2019

April morning

What a difference a day makes. Suddenly the front has passed. Rain fell last night--enough to water the garden and lawn. The flowers look refreshed. The air is a delightful cool temperature full of energy and projects. It won't last but for now it is meant to be enjoyed.

April morning--40 x 40 inches--ann brauer 2019

April morning--detail--ann brauer 2019

autumn solstice

It may be hazy, hot and humid this week but soon indeed "autumn solstice" will come.

autumn solstice--30 x 60"--ann brauer 2018--photo by John Polak

autumn solstice--detail--ann brauer 2018

daybreak

What a fitting name although a bit bittersweet to show a quilt that has a new home. In this case, I am honored that my quilt "daybreak" was chosen for a space where it may comfort many. On the other hand, I will miss it. They have promised to send me an image once it is hung and I promise to share it with you. But that is for later. For now, it is thanks for the memories and the inspiration.

daybreak--16 x 40"--ann brauer 2018

depending on how you look at it

Just like life, some quilts change depending on how you look at them. There is no right way and no wrong way, it just is. Which do you prefer?

visions of autumn-1--40x40 inches--ann brauer 2018--photo by John Polak

visions of autumn--1--40x40 inches--ann brauer 2018--photo by John Polak

visions of autumn--1--40 x 40 inches--ann brauer 2018--photo by John Poal

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?

mountain sun

Ta da. The quilt is done and sold. It was one of those orders I had been fretting about over the winter. At 30 inches wide by 70 inches long it was a strange shape meant to go in the staircase. You know that long blank wall that you see as you walk down the stairs.

I wanted it to tell a simple story with the sun rising at the bottom. A color study that was also of a time and place. One of the challenges was to use the measurements to add to the story. Shouldn't the sky be dominant? Rising far above the mountains. And yet it shouldn't be just a color--with that size I wanted there to be a continuing interest and development. Again there needed to be a complexity to the colors.

Of course the only way to get the quilt done was to begin. I always tell myself to start with what I know and trust that the quilt will develop as I grow into it. But what a bulk of fabric this was to work with. Still I knew the sun and started.

mountain sun--detail--2018

What colors should I put in. After all, these would determine the colors throughout the quilt. How quickly should I have the colors progress through the palest tans and greys into colors with more substance and texture. How hard it was to be patient.

Still I kept sewing. The only way to get the quilt done was to move forward and trust that it would come together.

mountain sun--detail--ann brauer

Was the quilt getting too busy? As I worked I knew I wanted it to have those splashes of color and light. But still it was important to maintain the calming feeling that I knew the customer wanted. Still all I could do is keep moving forward. Notice how I added a bit of the horizon to give me some guidance as I kept piecing.

Finally though it was done. Don't you love the complexities of the colors?

mountain sun--30x70"--quilt--ann brauer 2018--image by John Polak

Don't the hints of blue sparkle against the tan while the colors move from light to dark and then back to light again seeming to echo the horizon and meadow. At least that is my thought.

And here is a detail. I love how the gently radiates its light against the grey of the mountains.

detail--Mountain Sun--quilt--Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

I hung it in the studio so I could study it a bit.

mountain sun in studio--quilts--ann brauer 2018

And sure enough a couple dropped by to consider fiber art for their home. Maybe if I made another one in plum to coordinate....  Wouldn't that be lovely. Now that order has not come through yet but it does lead me to think. First though I do have a few other quilts I must complete. Isn't that how it works. One quilt inspires so many more. The only question is what to make next. I guess that's high class worries.

tales of sunrise--the courage of designing

Have you noticed that sometimes quilts just have a mind of their own? This time it was a quilt I was making to test colors for a custom order. I knew what the customer wanted. I knew where it was going to hang but I wasn't sure about how could I get them to work just right. After all, these customers seem like really special people and I wanted to do my best.

The quilt was to be based loosely on "gentle morning" but with a golden sun and slightly warmer colors that are more alive. The bottom perhaps a glowing tan to echo the sky.

gentle morning--40x40 inches--quilt--Ann Brauer 2017--image by John Polak

Sometimes the best thing to do is just start. I knew I could make a wonderful happy quilt for them but I wanted to learn about the colors and the design.

tales of sunrise--work in progress--ann brauer 2018

tales of sunrise--work in progress--ann brauer 201

tales of sunrise--work in progress--ann brauer 2018

Yes, I am loving this quilt. I have learned so much. Which colors work. How to get a wonderful progression. I can't wait to start on the next one with a slightly larger sun. This quilt though deserves to be finished.

I keep coming back to my recent quilt "view from my window."

view from my window--99x99 inches--ann brauer 2018

This requires so much nerve and steadiness. I don't think about it but just cut slowly and steadily. Courage yes. But design takes courage, doesn't it? Then I sewed it back together. I still have to add the bindings which will finish it off and give the quilt a nice polished look. Don't you love how it tells a story. Don't you love the dreaminess of the golden tans at the bottom. Then I get to start on the next one with the larger sun and slower progression of the colors.

view of sunrise--30x55 inches--work in progress--ann brauer 2018

What do you think? Do you ever have to cut apart a quilt to get the right detail?

the colors of summer

Does this ever happen to you? I start a new series and some of the last of my old work gets put aside. Sure I hang it occasionally but usually I leave it in the studio when I do a show. It is too big for the booth. If it hasn't sold so far, will it actually find a home if I show it. Yes, I do a cost benefit analysis in my mind at every show. Not because I am a strict business person--after all I am an artist--but I also have to think about selling the work if I want to continue to be an artist. That is just the way it is.

Still the quilt sits on my Desktop--I like to have inspiration there when I work on my e-mails or post on Etsy. It is in the studio where I see hints of it most days as I ponder the latest quilt on my design wall. Or study the quilts I have hanging on the walls for guidance and inspiration.

And yes, I think I need to see it again. It may work at the One of a Kind Show. I'm not sure. In my mind I revisit again and again on the white walls. This time my booth is 10x15. What a luxury. Should I have gone for the larger booth? I will never know unless I try. It just felt like the right thing to do.

And yes, "colors of summer" feels like the right quilt to bring. I love the complex colors created by piecing so many thin strips of cotton fabric. I love the change in size that affects the design of the quilt and that tells a story. I love the memory of choosing that bottom green row. Such a hard decision to make--I lingered over that colorway for days-- and yet I feel it anchors the quilt.

Who knows if it is the right decision? I may change my mind at the show and tuck it away. But for now I plan to pack it and hang it and enjoy it in all its geometric beauty.

colors of summer--quilt--Ann Brauer 2013--image by John Polak

What do you think? Does this ever happen to you? And if you are coming to the show please drop by my Booth 4131 and check it out. Thanks.

the memory of red hills

Sometimes a quilt is more than a quilt. At least that is my latest thought. Those who have been in my studio recently--or those who follow me on Facebook or Instagram or Etsy--may have seen that I am starting to mount some of my quilts on stretcher boards. What a different look it gives. In the once sense the quilt takes on an added importance. Each stitch seems to become more significant. The quilt is also a given size.

Now I have occasionally mounted quilts before. I used to frame a few of them just to show people they could. Customers have also had quilts framed. They do look great.

On the other hand, I miss the immediacy of quilts as fiber art. Something that everyone can relate to.  For a long time I have resisted the preciousness of mounting quilts. Does it make them more than they are. I can feel a different reaction to the mounted pieces when customers view them in the studio. And I know that it will be harder to display them at a craft show. I can't just lay the extras out on my shelves to have customers go through them. I can't fit them so easily in my plastic boxes for transport. I haven't even thought about shipping yet.

It will be interesting to see what happens. Certainly I will bring a number of them to the Berkshire Craft Show August 11-13 at Monument Mountain High School in Great Barrington. What a wonderful place to test them out.

Is this a method I will continue? I don't know. But for now I can feel an energy and life in the new works that is pushing me forward. What do you think? Do you mount your work? Do you appreciate mounted quilts or would you rather they were just quilts.

the memory of red hills--12x36"--Ann Brauer 2017

the memory of red hills--12x36"--Ann Brauer 2017

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

finishing the quilt

I don't know about you but sometimes I find it hard to finish a quilt, especially if it is a custom order which means I must send it off to its rightful home. After all, I have spent a lot of time working on the piece--I have to figure out how I am going to make it. What tweaks will make the quilt just right for its location. After all, the customer usually wants specific colors and sizes. They have honored me by wanting me to create their vision for their home. Think about it for a moment.

Sometimes as is the case with this quilt, the customer the customer liked the colors of an existing quilt but it was not the right size. Since I was going to be remaking the piece, they also wanted me to change the bottom of the quilt to incorporate a design element from another quilt of mine.

OK--I could do this. Of course this meant I had to think about just the right colors and proportion for the new size and design element. I wanted the quilt to sing and be more than the sum of its parts. And I did learn something when I made it. That is the fun of custom orders. They push me to see my work in just a slightly new direction. Now I want to make another in this series--different colors, different feeling. But a quilt that I am curious to see. I should start it as soon as I get to the studio today. That is the best way to get the quilt done.

another fine day--24x60"--quilt--Ann Brauer 2017

above the desert

I love this quilt. It is one of those series of quilts that I created to give a certain feeling that I could not put into words. I know there is a story here--although I am not sure what the story is. Maybe you can tell me....
 

above the desert--27x61"--annbrauer 2017--photo by John Polak

maples--day 33

I love the maples on the fence row--carefully planted in an even row. The rhythm of life and maple syrup. Defining the fields and the road. Each maple different but also the same.

Aren't they like the regular pieces of a quilt one after the other until it becomes greater than the parts?

maples--quilt--45x17--ann brauer

more than a quilt--day 31

By now it should be clear that I love making quilts. I love looking at the many wonderful fabrics and playing with them to create wondrous new landscapes that the viewer can linger in. I love making lovely potholders and eyeglass cases, placemats and table runners that can be used and enjoyed every day. Even the smallest scrap of fabric can create an inspiration for me. That is me and how I think.

But recently I have also been experimenting with giving my quilts an even more formal presentation. An existence that takes them beyond the soft and friendly to a place of even more substance if that is a good way of phrasing it.

These are quilts but--and I hesitate to say this--are they also making a statement that quilts can be more than quilts. Or are all quilts something more but we don't always realize this?

I don't know. For me I am like a kid in a toy store with something new to play with. I'm not sure where this will lead. I am not even sure it matters but I am having fun. And isn't this part of what life is about? What do you think?

two mounted quilts--2017--ann brauer

the road less taken--day 28

One of the reasons I love having a studio open to the public is that I can hang a new quilt on my wall as soon as I finish it and study it. What works? What could I do better? What is the next piece in the series? When customers come in, I can see which quilts they are drawn to and get their reactions.

Of course sometimes the best laid plans....

Now I know these are high class worries, but several times there have been wonderful new quilts that I finished just before a craft show and they sold right away. Before I got the chance to study them and see what lessons I could learn from them.

I keep forgetting this quilt which I call "the edge of the field." Perhaps a bit more realistic than I frequently make but still I am intrigued by the trees at the foreground and the view to the horizon. Hmmm. What do you think?

the edge of the field--quilt--ann brauer

the frame job--day 16

Quilts are art.  At least quilts can be art. By now that is an uncontested statement. Still sometimes a quilt needs to be formally mounted for a specific look or location.

Years ago I would have a framer mount the quilts for me. It did help sales since customers could picture the quilt in a more formal setting but it was also expensive and time consuming. Then the framer I had used moved on to different things.

I read detailed descriptions and tried to do it myself from scratch.  After all, I was smart and should be able to figure this out by myself. But that took a long while to do and was frustrating. I could not recoup the time I had put into the quilts. Not a good business plan.

Finally though, as I have frequently found, if I keep toying with an idea in the back of my mind, I may come across a solution to the question. Doesn't persistence pay off? This time it was my friend Cindy Grisdela who wrote about her method for framing. I might be able to do this. Certainly I had to try. Check out her tutorial on her blog. https://cindygrisdela.com/mounting-art-quilts-on-canvas-tutorial/

It was scary after making the quilt to then cut it apart. Wouldn't the flow of the quilt be different? But this was an experiment. What was the worst that could happen?  I would destroy a lovely quilt in the process. And it was lovely, wasn't it?

prairie memories--wip--quilt--ann brauer 2017

Still I had to know if her ideas would work with my quilts?  I had already invested in the frames and other supplies. So I mumbled a few words of encouragement to myself and cut. Very different isn't it?

prairie memories--wip--quilt--ann brauer 2017

And I proceeded to frame the quilt. What do you think? And now I need to make another and another until it becomes not just Cindy's way of framing but also my way as I tweak the method to make it look great for my quilts. That is what is fun about it, isn't it? There is always something new to explore. Some new path to learn.

prairie memories--12x36"--quilt--ann brauer 2017

What do you think? Do you try something new? How do you make it your own?

you never know what may happen--day 13

Many many years ago--just before I got my studio in Shelburne Falls--a group of some of my favorite artists decided to try a tour of our various studios in the West County area. What fun it was working with all these artists to plan the event and see their studios. What a lot of work it was. We sent out a mailing list, press releases, put up signs. 

At this time I was working in the basement of my DH's house so he even put a door in. I cleaned my space. Made some form of munchie and then I waited. Gradually cars showed up. Not a lot but enough. After all, the studios were scattered over many winding country roads and you had to be dedicated to make it to all the places.

Still I had a few sales and met some great people--both the other artists and the customers. A couple months later I bought my studio in Shelburne Falls and my studio was now open to the public most of the time.

Last year I was working in my studio--not the same studio but that is a story for another day--when a couple walked in. They had actually been to my studio in the country those years ago. Finally they had their house at the end of the world. Their business was established. And now it was time to begin decorating their house with local art. How honored I was that they chose my quilt "rainbows of autumn" to reflect the view from their home.

How much it confirmed my belief that you never know when that next casual conversation may be remembered for years until finally they have the perfect space for your work.

rainbows of autumn--quilt--ann brauer--photo by John Polak

it gets personal--day 12

August 28, 2011

I was standing at the American Craft Exposition in Evanston, Illinois when friends of mine came running down to my booth.

"Ann," they said. "Is there anyone who can get your quilts out of your studio? Shelburne Falls is flooding."

Soon, as they say, the rest is history. My beloved studio which had stood since the 1930's floated down the river as a result of Tropical Storm Irene.

Don't tell me that climate change is not real. Period.

While I waited for my new studio to get build I made a series of quilts based on the Deerfield River. Much better than fretting when it would get finished, wasn't it?

green river--38x38"--quilt--Ann Brauer 2015--photo by John Polak