Copper. Really?

Natalie (the adult one, not the child one) sent a quilt for me to do, with instructions to do something to "soften" it. She said she would trust my judgment. That's always a risk! I decided to use copper colored thread on her pink and brown quilt. I doubt she'd have chosen it herself, but I think she will be pleased with the outcome. I am.

I auditioned a variety of colors of thread for this quilt, starting first with the obvious browns and pinks. Then I looked at a "neutral" color because I thought the brown was too dark on the back (pink) side. The pink was too light on the dark browns. Neutral creams, tans, etc. just didn't speak to me at all. Then Copper jumped itself off the shelf on onto the quilt, screaming "Pick me! Pick me!" Sure enough ... it seems to be just the ticket.

Front (above), and back (below).

Lesson: don't always go with the "obvious" choice when picking thread. Step out of your usual comfort zone and you may find something serendipitously perfect. (Did I just make up a word there? Anyway ... you get what I mean, right?)

Quilters are coming out of hibernation around here. Speaking of coming out of hibernation, Penny came with her bears. This one will be raffled off at an event called Women of the Wild ... no, that's not right. Maybe it's called Women In The Outdoors? Anyway, something like that -- you can check it out http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/528076/Women-in-the-Outdoors-event-scheduled-Mt--Pisgah-State-Park.html?nav=5013 , buy a ticket, and have a chance to win. Penny quilted it here with a pattern that includes bears, pine trees, and such. Bear-y clever!

Becky has been piecing a quilt for Natalie (the child, not the adult) from her old baby blankets. It's becoming quite the large project. Here's what she has done so far:

More quilts to show. Tomorrow. Or the next day?