sometimes it is the small decisions

Finally the quilt is pieced. Whew!!!  But still I must quilt it. Which means I must choose which color thread to use. It should be easy, right? Well, not always. Now I like to use the same color throughout. I find that this gives a cohesion to the piece that I want. But this is where the issues begin. Sometimes I like adding just the bit of yellow or gold to brighten the piece but I am not sure it is the right decision for this quilt which has so much dark in it.

process--quilt--ann brauer--2018

Instead I test colors. For me the easiest way is to hold up the spools of thread and imagine what the color will look like against the quilt. I love the thought of this magenta. After all the quilt is shades of plum and purple. Lavender and mauve. And this would accentuate all those wonderful rich hues.

process--ann brauer--quilt 2018

Then I realize that the bottom of the quilt is teal. The magenta will stand out significantly against the teal. Mmmm. Maybe this is not the right color after all.

process--ann brauer--quilt--2018

I try again with this bright rose. Again it has the warmth I am seeking but still it may be too bright for the mystery of this quilt.

process--quilt--ann brauer 2018

As they say. Third time is the charm. What about the brick red. Not the color I had been initially imagining but it does add just a bit of the warmth and it won't stand out quite as strongly with the teal.

process--quilt--ann brauer 2018

Not too bright against the teal either is it?

process--quilt--ann brauer 2018

Yes, this will work. And so I begin. Simple rows of stitches done free hand using my 1965 Singer 281-3. A machine I love so much I design my quilts around it.

process--quilt--ann brauer 2018

But a seemingly endless process. I just sit there and sew and sew and sew.  When will I finish? I can get a bit of coffee or maybe some water when I reach a set goal. When I need to change bobbins I can check my e-mail. Oh the games I play to get it done. It goes on and one and on. Like my father, the farmer, when he plowed fields. Up one side and down the next yet gradually there is progress and this is after all part of the process.

How do you do it? What keeps you going during those endless rows? And how do you choose the color of thread to use?

just saying--day 32

Sometimes I just have to say something. I am so saddened by the feeling that pervades our country right now. Aren't we all despite our differences in this together? Can't we do better? Can't we be better?

I could go on. And on.  And on.

Instead I will just post this quilt--I forget what I called it. But doesn't it make a statement. At least I hope so.

untitled--50x50"--quilt--Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

the stars at night--day 6

Looking up at the stars there are so many stories. Places one could go. Entries into the unknown. Such mysteries. I am fascinated by them.

I remember once when I was visiting my parents after having lived in the East for a number of years. I went for a walk in their fields at night and felt I might fall off into the sky.  Probably not that unusual a feeling but by then I was so used to trees and hills holding me in place. Grounding me (pun intended.)

night sky--45x45 in--ann brauer

another blog

What a delightful and fun blog post this is. Hope you enjoy.

http://gefiltequilt.blogspot.com/2016/01/i-spent-new-years-getting-insanely-thin.html.

it's about family

Sometimes it seems there are quilts I just have to make.  I may not know why when I start--I just want to see what it will look like. I am curious. But there is something deeper too. At least that is the story of this quilt which I began some days ago. I knew I was tense. More pre-occupied than usual. After all, the memorial services for my FIL were going to be held soon and my DH and I were hosting the after party.  I think I should put that in Caps. This was a BIG deal.

You see my FIL comes from a large complex family. Relatives on both sides. Some of whom I know--they may even live just down the road from me.  Others that I had never met before.  Or just knew slightly. There were the traditional rivalries and factions. Those who did or did not  speak with each other. Stories going back way before my time. The end of an era. The passing of the torch to the next generation--my generation--and all of the emotion that the loss of a father or a father figure can create.

Now those who know me know that I am not a party giver. I work in my studio. Make quilts. Play in my garden. My family was small and compact. I knew my stories and my histories. But somehow we were hosting 50 people. I had to be organized. In charge.

And this is where the story returns to quilts. After all, my loyal readers are really not very interested in my husband's family or even my angst about throwing a party. But of course what did I do to calm myself but start a quilt. Like duh!!! I wasn't even sure when I started why I just had to make this quilt but I needed something to do. And I was curious about this piece. I could almost see it in my mind's eye.

So a few days before the party I made the first tentative blocks.

Amazing how good it felt to pin these four squares up on the wall. Yes, this was the way to go.

A few more. These colors are so lush. I felt like I was doing something.

But would it work? I knew the idea involved motion and color going both ways. Let me try.

Interesting look. The next days I came in and made a few more rows. I do love how it is coming together, don't you? Still not sure exactly where it is going but it feels like a statement. A purpose. Come to the studio. Sew. Make progress. Relax. Center myself.  Go home and clean house. Shop. Confer with my DH who has been working even more tirelessly for this occasion--it is his family after all. His father. His loss. Deal with the issues that invariably arise.

The day came. Of course it poured. But the sun came out just as they played Taps. There was enough food. Pizza and polenta. Lots of ice cream--my FIL loved ice cream. So many absolutely wonderful people to meet. So many great stories to tell and retell. And I realized that maybe the reason I just had to make this quilt was because it too was about family. How interwoven it all is. Tales that weave in and out.

I am still not sure what the quilt will look like when it is done. So much work to still do on it--I find it hard to be patient as I piece one row--one strip at a time still hoping that it will all come together as I want it to. But maybe this is why I had to make this quilt at this time? Does this ever happen to you? Do you ever make a quilt to sustain yourself? Is this why I sew?

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?

now that's a lot of sewing

I will be the first to admit I have a love-hate relationship my new long table runners--or are they wall hangings? Don't you just love how they seem to stretch on forever. So complex and substantial with  colors that almost shimmer in the light. That expanse of freedom and hope.

But they sure do take a lot of sewing. Think of it. About 50 seams that are about 8 feet long. Whew. That is well over 100 different fabrics to get the right color selection. And the most discouraging thing is that after I have finished one seam I have added a total of 1/4 inch to the quilt. That's not very much. The ball point pen in the hotel room is wider than a quarter of an inch.

And when I start there is nothing there. No color. No sense of motion. Just a long black seam.

Even after a few more it still looks rather blah!!! (Yes, it was late in the day when I snapped this picture but still you must get the idea.) This image is less than three inches. UGH!!!

Carry on though I must. There is a bit of British in my background I remember.

So finally there is the hint of color. Progress. One of the slowest aspects is that every seam or two I must stop and cut more fabric. Quilts do take on a life of their own and I must pay attention to this one.

How long will I linger in these colors. How slowly it seems to go.

I confess I guestimate and then finally measure. Seven inches done. Then eight. Then nine. Aren't I finished yet. The last two or three inches just seem to drag. I don't even let myself stop and take pictures. I must sew. Another seam and then coffee. Finally it is done. I cut it to size and sew on the binding. Even the hand finish work goes on and on as I grow increasingly impatient to see the finished quilt.

Finally though--aren't the colors wonderful!

I hang it in the booth at the Washington Craft Show. http://www.washingtoncraftshow.com Yes, it looks perfect. All is forgiven.  And then so soon, it is gone. Already it has found a great home. Almost too soon but no--I want it to be happy. And besides I can always make another one, right?

Does this happen to you? Do you have projects that just seem to go on and on even though you know the finished result will be worth it in the end? How do you approach them? What do you think?

moving forward--one block at a time

Now it is not that I have been lazy during the first week of the New Year. No, I have been going into the studio every day working on orders, making potholders and placemats, pillows and purses. Work that I know will sell. Help pay for the rent of my new studio space. Keep me in my booth at the Baltimore Craft Show--yikes, that is less than two months away. February 24-26.

No, I have been working hard. Though I feel like I am standing in place. Swimming against the current.

Each morning as I wake up I think of the new quilts that I want to make. The ones that I am curious about. How will they work? How can I push my art to show something new and unknown. Work that I want to study in my studio after it is done. I know I need it. After all, I did sell  capturing the sky and need a similar piece.

Something has been holding me back. It is so much easier to make a collection of potholders. I know they will work. Short, sweet and simple. A success. Am I afraid that the new quilt will not work? Am I just tired? How understandable. I have been going non-stop for the last five months after all. I did need a break--if only to make potholders.

Still I must do more.  After all, I did not spend all this time and energy re-establishing my studio just to make potholders, did I? Somewhere I must find the energy to start a new quilt.

I must stop procrastinating. Regain my focus. I read on the internet a blog post on Seven Ways to Quit Procrastinating. Check it out HERE.   I decide I must just take the plunge. I can see the quilt in my mind. The colors--such a solid strong blue that radiates sky and promise. Different from capturing the sky--but the next in a series. I must just start. Here goes. Make that first block--that is easy.

So lonely it looks up there, doesn't it? Just a small little statement of hope. OK--I can do it. Make  a row. See what happens. Now I can make more potholders.

Nice color. Not as strong as I might want. But I must keep going. Will more blocks--another row--add to the color I want. I keep focusing on the idea. The concept of a dark sky with a few trees lit in the setting sun. I want to capture that light.

Yes, this is getting better? Feel good to just start doesn't it? Now to make another row--and another. Make what I know.  Today at least one more row--maybe two more. Then add the zing. That part that I can see in my mind but I am not sure how it will work.  I will have to experiment and try. Will it work? I see the next quilt already in my mind's eye. But I must finish this one first. Get this quilt to the point where it has its own momentum. Pulls me forward.  Becomes the focus of my days in the studio. Where the potholders and placemats become the things I make when I need to study the quilt.  Isn't that their rightful place? Then I can start the next one? Isn't that the trick to getting the energy to move forward?

What do you think? How do you get started? Where does your momentum come from? Any hints?

a brief history of a quilt

Sometimes it is the little things that matter most in making a quilt. A few weeks ago I had in my mind's eye a quilt similar to gentle dawn. But with more of a horizon. And the sun--I wanted the sun to have just risen with the reds and oranges, the yellows and pinks streaking across the sky. A joyful dawn.

 Now those who follow my work know that I have a constant fascination with the sky, the horizon, the promise of the dawn. Just look at prairie dawn. A quilt from a few years ago.

Or prairie sky. Another piece from a couple years ago.

 

I wanted it similar. After all, I am still getting used to my new studio. One day at a time. One step at a time. But still I wanted to use the knowledge that I have gained since making these pieces. What can I now add? How can I say more? Some days as it is I feel like I am just treading water. It is not that I am not trying--there are so many quilts that I see just beyond my grasp. But there is only so much I can do. Besides, I love these colors and these quilts. I love working with the rich blues and purples of the sky. The reds of the sun. So why not?

Of course I begin by piecing what I know. The gradually changing colors of blues and lavenders. Pinks and yellows. How happy and cheerful on my design board. Pin up a piece of red to see what it will look like.

Not bad. But it lacks the zing of the color changes I want to add. Let's see what happens.

OK--still seems a bit stilted though, doesn't it?  Shouldn't I use more oranges?  Magentas? Where is the pop? Let me play with the colors. Cut lots of strips of fabric. Lay them out on the table.

 Better. But should I take even more risks?

Yes, that marble looking fabric does help--doesn't it? Not sure who donated it to me--but thank you so much. Amazing how much one fabric can add to the quilt. I play a bit more and piece. How does it look?

Not bad--but could it be even better. Step up the yellow a bit more.  Take more risks. I take out a few rows. Try again. Gotta love my seam ripper.

 Yes, isn't this what I want? Doesn't it sing? It always feels like such a risk to begin sewing it together.

 But yes, I like that effect. Enough yellows and golds to make it pop. Not so bright it feels garish. Now, I can't wait to show it at the Washington Craft Show December 2-4--check it out at http://craftsamericashows.com/WASH_main.htm

 What do you think?  How much do your quilts change as you play with them? How do you move forward?

but do I have enough fabric?

OK--I finally decided I must make a new wall hanging. Not just a small square but a mid-size one. Sort of like the ones I used to make. Back in the good old days before Irene. When my quilts were selling well and I had plenty of stash. Just a month or so ago as you may remember. Sigh!! How life can change.

After all, I do need to have quilts to sell and I did lose about half my quilts, much of my stash and my darling building thanks to Irene. GRRR!!! Sometimes though the only way out is through. Luckily I will be doing the Paradise City Northampton show in a few days--hope to see many of you there.

So I told myself a few days ago I must start. I will make a quilt that I have made before. A few tweaks here and there of course. I never make the same quilt twice after all. But I don't want to reinvent everything at once. I know it will be hard enough to work in the new space. Figure out which fabrics I have. Ease myself gradually into the process.

Why not a variation on desert hills? Nice quilt isn't it? Some of the greys that I have been working with. I think I have a few golden browns. Not sure about the darker colors--but A Notion to Quilt has been very generous and they are just up the road from me.

But will I have enough fabric? After all each block requires 10 or is it 12 different  fabrics--all related in color and progressive. Not just any grey will do. A grey with mauve is so different from a grey with green or rust.  Each block must be different--although I do allow myself to use the same fabric more than once. And each row is a different color combination so this means a lots of different fabrics. I can't overthink it though so I start.

Hmmm. Not bad. I look at it for a day and add another row. Let's see what happens.

Yes, there is a color here. Definitely some variation but not bad. I don't think I will add another row of even darker down at the bottom. Instead some pale yellows and tans. Let's see what happens.

Is the sunshine too bright? Can I find the colors for three more rows of golden brown--not too bright?
I don't want to overwhelm the grey. I am thinking about a bit of the thin piecing in the center. Maybe. Luckily I just received a lovely package of stash from a quiltmaker in Washington State--what lovely browns she included. Just what I needed.

Hopefully today I can add another row. How nice it feels to be working again. What do you think? How do you start working again? Will I see you at the Paradise City Show? Or my new studio?

the colors of mud

I wake up early one morning this week--now that is not surprising. I have been doing that a lot recently--3 or 4 am--if I am lucky I sleep until 5. Thanks Irene--and Good Night to you too.. But this time I am thinking of a new quilt instead of worrying about that to do list. Sweet. The way life should be.

Now I had been telling myself that my first quilt should be optimistic. Bright colors like first light. Happy and joyous. A quilt about hope and rebirth.

But instead I think of one in the soft colors of greys and taupe, steel blues and mist. I am scared to make it. The Deerfield River is still flowing strong and brown right now--remembering its rage and sorrow. I can see it from my new studio. Do I really want to go there? Is it too soon? Or maybe this is what I need to do? I am not sure.

I plow through the lovely boxes of stash I have received. Such gifts from the heart. Each one does cheer and encourage me. The one with two pieces--just the colors that I need. The customer who sent a lavender color that I had sadly used up a few years ago--how glad I am to have it again. The quilt maker who wanted to interview me--much like they do at the Animal Shelter--would I promise to use and enjoy the fabric as much as she had? I tore into that package.

Yes, maybe I need to be making the colors of the mud and river part of me. Yes, this is what interests me right now. It is my life.

Don't you just love these fabrics? And the new cutting board--thank you Notion to Quilt. And I start to sew--slowly at first. It is a challenge to figure out the fabrics. A few that I had stored high in the studio--these I know. Many from others that I need to learn about. To study and absorb.  But I am sewing. This feels right.

Gradually I regain confidence. Add the strips one at a time. Right now I can't add that dusky muddy green--that feels too close to home. Instead just a bit of the mauve and pink. That hint of sunrise and rebirth.

Not bad is it? Maybe the next one needs that green of angry water--not sure.  Probably I do need to work through that. But today I must finish this one--just a simple square--but from the heart. What do you think? What inspires your quilts? Do you ever find yourself making a quilt to deal with life?