return to hidden lake

Hidden lake was a quilt I made a number of years ago. A really nice quilt with a great story. I was hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire one summer. The trees were green and lush. The trail delightful--just enough of a challenge to make it fun but not so hard that every step was a trial. We had a destination--a lake--and kept getting glimpses of it as we turned a corner or hit a high clearing. This quilt is about that experience.

Lovely isn't it?

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

The quilt is long since sold but I just got an order from a major health care facility in Minnesota to make one like it. It is one of those orders that while I may not like repeating the past it is such an honor that of course I will.  The quilt ordered is smaller which will require its own issues but first I constantly get requests for explanations on my basic technique of quilt as you go. So I decided to use this as an example as my holiday gift to you.

In this case, because it was an order, I created a sample card that needed to be approved before I began work. This is the cheat sheet.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

Was I remembering the quilt in all its green glory? I am not sure. Do I have all the fabrics--nope. But what can I do. I go through my stash and pull out what I can find. Is it enough? I am not sure. Is it too dark--I am not sure. The quilt does start off dark green. I always tell myself to make what I know.

I cut fabric for one row of the quilt. If I cut too much, it becomes hard to find just the piece I need. If I cut not enough then I am constantly getting up and searching for more. This is my pile for now. The light was not good for photos but you get the idea. This helps me see what greens I have for the quilt.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

I then sew the first two pieces together. In this case I am starting at the bottom. I have a layer of cotton batting on top of the back of the quilt. I then spend time finding just the right fabric to add next. How bright should it be? I am not in the swing of things yet and the quilt as not absorbed my mind so it takes a while.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

I always estimate that I reject at least five fabrics before finding just the right one. When I do I lay it with the right side of the strip against the right side of the pieces I am working on.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

Then I sew a seam.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

The stitches go through onto the back.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

I press it open and keep building.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

Eventually I finish the block and pin it on the design board to begin the next one.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

Are the colors right? Does this have the liveliness of the original? Sometimes it is much harder to make a piece that I have already made since I must absorb the quilt as it was taking into account the effect of photography and the different fabrics that I have now. I also have to listen to the desires of the client. Time will tell. In this case, I will keep building the quilt until I see the whole. This is where the fun begins. One block at a time.

And for those who ask, this is my most recent variation of a tutorial how I make my quilts. As you can see much of it is intuitive. It requires practice and looking at what you have made before to see where to go next. It also requires getting into the mindset of the quilt that you are making. What are you trying to say? Where do the fabrics lead you? How do they work as a whole? Sometimes the only way through is to start. How do you begin? What tips do you have?

Happy Holidays to you.

the quilts of Ann Brauer--almost solstice

Yes--I am late. As usual. I have been working hard at the studio. As usual. Trying to finish a few more orders that I promised and then get a start on the new year and the work I need for the Baltimore Craft Show in February. However, as tonight's supper is cooking in the slow cooker (homemade spaghetti sauce--yum) I am sneaking a few minutes to write a quick update. For those who don't know up here the afternoons will start very slowly to get longer. Yeah!!! The solstice itself is later in the month but by some bend in the orbit, afternoons lengthen before the solstice and mornings shorten until early January. Don't ask me to explain but this is a detail of my quilt "sunrise" to celebrate.

detail--sunrise--quilt--Ann Brauer 2015

I will be doing the Holiday Morristown Show in Morristown NJ December 11-13. This is such a fun show. There is work for any last minute stocking stuffers and also some absolutely fabulous artists who will be there. And if you print out this coupon and fill it out you can get Complimentary Admission. You do need one form per person.

COMPLIMENTARY ADMISSION COUPON

And I am the cover girl and featured artist for the Winter 2016 edition of Art Quilting Studio. This is actually a wonderful magazine that I had not known about previously. There are lots of amazing artists and great articles inside. I can't wait to read it cover to cover.

Art Quilting Studio

Finally I am continuing to list items on my Etsy shop. In particular after lots of people requested it, I have begun making a few smart phone cases. They are 3.75 by 6.75 inches exterior dimensions and should work for most phones and also large wrap around sunglasses. Do measure to make sure the size works for you.

smart phone case--quilt--Ann Brauer

Of course I will be in the studio most days except when I am doing the Morristown Show so do drop by if you are in town or e-mail me first if you are coming from out of town.

Here's hoping you all have a great holiday season enjoying the return of light, friendship, peace and others.

new quilts to brighten a winter day

OK--it is grey and raining here. I keep telling myself that at least I do not have to shovel and we probably do need the rain but I miss the bright sunny days we had been having so I decided to show off some of my latest quilts. I just got the images back from my wonderful photographer John Polak.

This quilt I call "pluto is a planet." I made it this past summer as NASA was beginning to release some of the images of Pluto. Call me old fashioned but I do believe that they were wrong to declare that Pluto is a planetoid or whatever they are calling it. Oh well.

pluto is a planet--40x40 inches--quilt--Ann Brauer--2015

"Sunrise" is a hard quilt to display in my booth or even in my studio but I love the shape and colors and think it would be perfect over a sofa or bed. It was a challenge to keep the lines straight and the the two sides balanced but alive with differences.

sunrise--30x80 inches--quilt--Ann Brauer--2015

"Distant fire" reaches up to the sky. It was fun to make three panels which had to be similar but different and then see the effect of joining them together. I love this quilt and vertical quilts are actually easier to display in my booth.

distant fire--80x37.5 inches--quilt--Ann Brauer--2015

I will be bringing them to the Holiday Morristown Show next week-end in Morristown, NJ as well as lots of smaller items. This is the show where you need to download and fill out one pass for each person and you can get complimentary admission. Some great work--some fun crafts--and plenty of items to have on hand as stocking stuffers, hostess gifts or just because. Here is the link to get your pass:

https://artrider.wufoo.com/forms/holiday-craftmorristown-2015-comp-admission-coupon/

And of course I am slowly getting the new work listed on my Etsy shop as well as filling the holes as work sells.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer 

Here's hoping the sun is shining where you are.

I'm a cover girl

I'm a cover girl and the featured artist in the lates tissue of Art Quilting Studio. What more do I need to say?

I will have copies of the magazine available at my studio in Shelburne Falls, MA and will be open on Friday November 27 for Moonlight Magic--the village's annual celebration of the holiday season with candelaria on the sidewalk, a parade past my studio, performers throughout the town and the annual cookie sale for the Shelburne Falls Womens Club. Yum.

If you can't make it there, you can check out my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer
To celebrate Black Friday, Moonlight Magic, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday use the Coupon Code MOONLIGHT15 for 20% off through November 30. It will also work in my studio although it does not apply to previous purchases, custom orders and work that is being reserved.

I will also be showing at the Holiday Craft Show in Morristown, NJ on December 11-13. If you follow this link and fill out the coupon you can get COMPLIMENTARY ADMISSION to the show--be sure and print out and submit one form for each person coming.

https://artrider.wufoo.com/forms/holiday-craftmorristown-2015-comp-admission-coupon/

the quilts of Ann Brauer--November edition

Dear all,

All I can say is wow. We are having the most glorious autumn I can remember. After a couple of killing frosts and even a report of S*** in October, the weather has turned beautifully mild and sunny. Every day I try to do finish a few more chores in the garden before heading to my studio to finish orders and create a few more items for my studio. Of course, even there I spend a lot of time gazing at the colors on Mount Massamet and the reflections on the Deerfield River knowing that soon it will indeed change.

Meanwhile there is so much going on. I am getting ready for the Paradise City Arts Festival November 20-22 at the Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough, MA. I can't say enough good things about this show--there is so much fun work from stocking stuffers to major wall art and sculpture here--as well as live music, good food and even plenty of free parking. To find out more about this show and to get $2 off your admission ticket please check out their web site: www.paradisecityarts.com The wonderful show promoters have been using an image of my quilt "red sun" for some of their promotions.

red sun--quilt--40x40 inches--Ann Brauer

Then the next Friday--which conveniently is the day after Thanksgiving--Moonlight Magic returns to Shelburne Falls. What a great family event this is--there are candelaria on the sidewalks, cookies baked by the Women's Club at the Information Center, the stores are open late and there is even a parade with Santa through the center of the village. I do hope at least some of you will drop by and say hi. I plan to be celebrating the publication of my new quilts in the Winter Edition of Art Quilting Magazine due out on December 1, 2015. I can't wait to see the article and all the images of my work in this publication.

You can also see one of my quilts in the exhibit  at the Fuller Museum of Craft in Brockton, MA. Finally I will be doing the Holiday Morristown Show in Morristown, NJ in December. Let me know if you would like to receive a postcard for one free admission to this show.

Whew. That was a lot of news, wasn't it?

Of course you can always find many of my quilts and accessories on my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer or feel free to contact me directly.

May your autumn be filled with plenty of sunshine and warmth with just the hint of the colder days and longer nights to follow.

Thanks so much for reading.

the quilts of Ann Brauer--September Song

Dear all,

It is hard to imagine that summer is winding down already. My garden is overflowing with tomatoes, peaches and basil--I have been eating very well recently thank you. My fall bearing raspberries provide the most delightful snack every day when I try to figure out what is for supper. Yum. I even managed to see the VanGogh exhibit at the Clark Museum in Williamstown--what a treat that was.

Meanwhile most days I have been working hard at the studio. There is just so much to do and so many quilts I want to make. This Saturday September 12 is an ArtWalk in Shelburne Falls--I will be open at least until 7 that day so if you are in town, I hope you will walk down, check out the leaves that are just starting to change and drop into my studio to see my new work. I am trying to finish my quilt "sunrise" for the American Craft Exposition. Doesn't it look like the sun coming up over Lake Michigan?

sunrise--Ann Brauer--work in progress

This year  the show has new dates and a new location. It will be September 25-27 at The Chicago Botanical Gardens in Glencoe, IL just north of Evanston. I am certainly looking forward to the chance to see some of the gardens and setting up in a new venue. For those of you who are planning on attending if you are not a member of the gardens, it is recommended that you purchase your tickets in advance to save on parking. There will also be shuttles from the Metra train station in Glencoe if that works better for you. To pre purchase tickets:
https://register.chicagobotanic.org/search_results.asp?free_text=ACE%20show

Because the ACE Show is so late this year, I decided to work in my studio on Columbus Day week-end. If you are coming out to Western Massachusetts for fall foliage, I hope you will plan on visiting Shelburne Falls--the Bridge of Flowers should be gorgeous, the leaves should be full of color and you can see some of my recent quilts. After all what could be more lovely than New England in the fall. Yes, I need to get more images taken by my photographer--so many things to do.

autumn splendor--40x40 inches--Ann Brauer

I will write more next month about future shows in the upcoming months and also the feature story about my new work that should be published in the winter edition of a quilt magazine. Meanwhile, I do hope you enjoy the change in the seasons.

road trip--encampment

A hot hazy day in western Massachusetts. Thunderstorms in the forecast. Summer in the Berkshires. Tuesday. My free day.

The previous days I had had several great conversations. What inspires you? How do you get ideas? What do you look at from the corner of your being--not to copy but to observe and learn. These conversations with other artists at the Berkshire Craft Show are part of what makes doing shows so inspiring for me. The conversations had continued at the studio--a young artist who is trying to create her own style of art quilts. A phone interview I had for a feature article (more on that at a later date.) The writer had studied my quilts and asked probing questions.

Time for a road trip to MASS MoCA in North Adams. Now MASS MoCA is a true national treasure. So much art in a reused industrial complex. There is always something new and exciting to see. I go there as often as I can--frequently in winter. But there were new exhibits. Buildings that are not open then. Enough to see that we could wander and gaze until we had had enough.

I loved the photographs of Clifford Ross and especially digital video where he deconstructed the images into colors that danced through space in ways that a quilt maker could only dream about. The blue color washes of Liz Deschenes intrigued me in their simple complexity. Jim Shaw's cartoonish renditions of contemporary American politics were interesting but did not grab me.

So I was not sure what to expect when I entered Francesco Clemente's Encampment exhibit. At first you just see six colorful tents camped out in the large room that you can walk through. I started quickly just scanning the paintings done in collaboration with craftspeople of Rajastan, Do you see all the sketches on the surface. This could be studied for a long time.

Then I started looking more closely at the designs--such wonderful graphics, so many great colors--and I got caught up in seeing more and more possibilities and wonder within the tents.

Wouldn't those be great designs for my new circle quilts. Well not just like that but as a sketch--a starting point?

Don't you just love the colors?

And consider the possibilities here. Yes, this is all painted on canvas with the depth only from the perspective used.

And another wonderful design. What fun that would be to sketch out. Maybe it could be used for another project I am working on. Hmmm.

And even more of a challenge. Great concept though isn't it?

And of course there is this amazing beehive design. All I can say is wow.

And of course the wonderful use of greys and dark browns here. So archetypal. Not a "design" that I would use but so powerful in its own right.

Well I could go one. So many more wonderful paintings up stairs. Such great colors. And I still haven't shown you all of MASS MoCA. Maybe I need to go back myself and study these more. I want to.

Have you seen this show? Are you planning a road trip? What inspires you? How do you look at things differently? The website for the Museum is www.massmoca.org And don't forget--my studio in Shelburne Falls is about 20 miles away--just saying.