The first order of business...

Now that I have my quilt blocks chosen and am ready to begin, the first order of business is choosing the fabrics. This in my opinion is THE major make or break moment in any quilt. Sure there are countless other ways it can all go horribly wrong, but this is the moment of primary quilt failure. If you get this wrong, no amount precision needlework can save the quilt from mediocrity. Get it right and you will have a winner no matter how dismal your technical skills. I am talking about choosing your colors and fabrics. And I speak from painful experience.

Because of this, I have made it my business over the last several years to get better at my fabric and color choices. This I decided was to be my strong suit and so it seems to be. My grasp of color is getting better and better, so even in spite of my ordinary quilting stitch, I feel confident that there are many stunning quilts in my future based on my improved ability to choose a pallet of fabrics as a foundation from which to build my quilt.

The fabrics above are the pallet for my quilt. They are a more soothing version of the cheerful and bright colors I like to have around me when I am in a creative mood, so they seemed to be the perfect choice for this, my very personal and very creative family tree quilt. I am missing a few fabrics yet. I will scour my fabric stash or my favorite quilt store to find them, a pale ochre and dark dull blue...and then we will be cleared for take -off!