mhollifiel

Yesterday, Wanda came over and helped me assemble 116 blocks for Wickedly Easy Quilts, a free 2007 design by Annette L. Unrein. I am really pitiful at color and design. Wanda does not do anything in the textile arts but she's a design and color genius. She sat in my studio chair and handed me the center strips to join already prepared side strip sets. Wanda put stuff together that I wouldn't have dreamed of combining. Gorgeous! At one point she asked me if she could use the back side! When she got down to the last blocks where choices were limited, the blocks got even better.

Let me encourage you all to include your friends in your work. We all know what parts are the most challenging for each of us. Engaging a friend who doesn't quilt and who likely has no interest in learning doesn't mean that their help won't benefit your work. Wanda and I had the best time and these charity quilts will be much more beautiful because I asked for her help. After I fixed her a quick supper in gratitude, she thanked me over and over for asking for her help! And she's coming back next week to lay out the quilts from the blocks. No doubt they'll be amazing!

If you have a similar story, please share it with all of us

Barb in Louisiana

My daughter is the one who is a better colorist than I am. I am lucky that she is, also, a quilter. Would you share a picture of your quilt with us.

Iceblossom

My son has the eye and drawing abilities of an artist. I can barely draw a smiley face... it is really hard for me to decide on quilting design even. When he was little he'd go to quilt shows with me pointing out things that he liked. A lot of which was fancy applique which I don't do! But he'd be pointing out how he liked the shadow effect here, or this over there, or that color palette. He'd often be my tie breaker when I was deciding on two different fabrics.

Sigh, he's grown up now and not available so much. My husband just says "I'm sure it will be lovely" in a rehearsed robotic sort of voice My quilting lady friends are big helps, even though we all just nod and say "in the end of course it will be your decision" and then give our advice.

Recently I picked up a piece of fabric that I know will really appeal to one of the ladies -- if you used the back side of the fabric. No reason not to if you like it better!

Peckish

Sounds a lot like my oldest son, he's the one I turn to when I need to know if a blouse is the right color, or pants look good on me, and he's great with quilting questions, like if I should use this fabric or that, or which border looks better, or if adding this or that makes it too busy. He's also grown up, but you know what's awesome about the age we live in? I can take a picture, text it to him, and he almost always replies with his opinion immediately!

Quiltah Mama

When my daughter was growing up, I once used up scraps to make a log cabin quilt. I made piles of the fabric choices for each block before I was going to sew them. My daughter noticed what I was doing and very quickly have me a coordinating color lesson, it was like she had the color wheel memorized. She rearranged my piles and finished off the scraps into the rest of the piles for the remaining blocks, and the quilt came out just beautiful. She is not a quilter and has not even showed much interest in my quilting, but she sure surprised me that day.

jmoore

Wanda sounds like a great friend to have around...

I have a quilting friend who has a small sewing studio with limited space so she brought her blocks to a Quilt Along to put up on my design wall a couple of weeks ago and we had a great time arranging them. It’s always interesting how people see things differently.

QuiltingVagabond

Sounds like Wanda is not a quilter.... yet!

Friday1961

My middle son is a graphic artist and has a great eye for design and color. But since I'm an amateur artist (draw and paint) too, I don't usually ask for advice and he doesn't offer it.....unless I do ask. My older son is the most enthusiastic about what I do in quiltmaking and always has good suggestions. All three are artistic and creative, each in his own way, so I have great resources available!

DJ

I once had a non-quilter friend choose fabrics and pattern for a quilt I wanted to make for her. It was so different than anything I would have picked and turned out great.

donna13350

When my daughter was 14, she started her first quilt. She was an ice skater, so she chose an applique pattern of skates, and finished all 12 blocks. We went to Joanne's to buy sashing fabric, and she chose a fabric that I just walked past, and it was perfect..it really made the blocks pop...even the employees commented on her choice, how they never would have thought about it...it is good to get out of your comfort zone...I learned a lot that day!