Beyond Neutral: Quilts Inspired by Nature's Elements
For long-time quilters, neutral meant muslin, off-white, cream or white fabric. Maybe you might venture to a light gray. At some point, quilters used black as a background. Neutral didn't mean a color. InBeyond Neutral, John Q. Adams created 16 original quilts where he used the colors of nature as his inspiration for his neutral - no cream or white here. He organized his quilts around the themes of wind; earth; water; leaves and grass; and lava, coral, and stone. I loved the movement and freshness of his quilts. Some of my favorites: "Canyonlands;", inspired by a flock of starlings in flight with a peachy tan as a neutral; "Katmai;", which had its roots in a traditional block that kept growing; and "Pacific; Crest", with its image of flying birds on a navy background. You'll find lots of inspiration in the book and you'll look at neutrals differently, whether that's in using John's patterns or your own creation. --Review from Morna Golletz, ICAP Newsletter, May 2014