nor'easter--take two

OK--I confess. I missed a day of posting. What can I say. There was a nor'easter. The world was beautiful and white but it did not feel like spring would show up. So I didn't post.

Oh well. Today I am thinking of warm blue skies and summer. Those are the colors of this pillow. Wouldn't it make a delightful splash of color for your sofa. While pillows look fabulous in my studio, they don't always fit in my van. Therefore I tend to have them for a while.

blue pillow--16x16"--quilt--Ann Brauer

I have reduced the price of this pillow from $110 to $75. To learn more about it, please check out my Etsy shop. The link is HERE. I actually have two of them if you want a matched set just e-mail me.

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?

the quilts of Ann Brauer--it's June

Finally it is June. The rains here have come, the garden is almost fully planted and the irises have started blooming. How lush and vibrant everything seems. Of course this is indeed New England so one day I had to wear my winter coat and turn the heat on in the studio. A couple days later it was time for the air conditioner. As they say--just wait a minute.

In Shelburne Falls, they are shooting another movie. Sure there is a bit of a hassle--sometimes you have to wait a few minutes before you can cross the street. Parking is easier behind Keystone Market or either of the two lots on Cross Street. But my studio is still open. Who knows--you might just meet a star. The movie is called The Judge and Robert Duvall and Robert Downing Jr are in town. Maybe even Billie Bob Thornton.  I am working hard there most days finishing a quilt for a lovely customer who wants to decorate her living room around the piece and getting ready for two shows in August--the Berkshire Craft Show at Monument Mountain High School in Great Barrington and the American Craft Exposition  in Evanston--but more about those later.  Of course you can see a copy of the site plan for what I hope will be my new studio--fingers crossed.

And I have gotten inspired to make some new pillows. Instead of a quilt of the month this time, I thought you might be interested in seeing just a couple of my new designs. I do love the juxtaposition of the simple cotton fabrics and the modern designs and complex colors and motion I get by piecing using the thin strips, don't you?

pillow--16x16"--red center with grey--Ann Brauer $110

pillow--16x16"-- red stripe with grey--Ann Brauer $110

pillow--16x16"--mauve center--Ann Brauer $110

Anyway, enough for now. I hope your June is also splendid and that I will get a chance to see a few of you in the studio this month. Of course, if you are coming from a distance I suggest calling or e-mailing me just to make sure.