Life is Good!

If you're not careful, every once in a while life can get you down! In my life, there is always such a struggle to balance competing priorities and address unplanned tasks. I find that sitting down and sorting out what MUST get done, SHOULD get done, CAN get done... and what I would LIKE to get done... helps me find a good balance in my personal and work worlds. And then, suddenly, it is so obvious: life is good!

In the meantime, here is something to think about when you are making your own quilts. Too often, when we are figuring out what to use for a "background" fabric, we rely on a trusted white-on-white or neutral pallet. Take a look at the quilt below - it's an older one, but I like to use it to demonstrate a principle of color and fabric choices. Notice the flying geese border.

"Shine on Harvest Moon"

Okay, now that you've looked at the quilt, take a closer look at the border. What do you see?

My "background" fabrics aren't just from the neutral pallet -- they include tans and off-whites, but they also include yellow, black, gold, green, rust. Are you surprised? The next time that you are making a quilt, think about using a scrappy set of background fabrics; dip into something besides a neutral set of colors -- and you may find that life (with lots of colors) is good!

Sue
(c) 1997-2008 Susan H. Garman