LOLOLOL.....I love SunBonnet Sue. Were you around when I was making blocks of her being bad? I'm now working on a Dapper Sam to go with Sunbonnet SueBelle.

Paper piecing and tiny applique send me running. I don't have a problem with any colors.

SharonG/FL

I LOVE jewel tones, and black and white. I like to work with simple patterns and pieces. I find it more relaxing to do than complicated or intricate work.

I also love how applique looks, but really don't like doing it. With my arthritis just holding the piece can be difficult sometimes.

beverly

Novelty prints send me running, also polka dots. I have seen them used in some beautiful quilts but just can't get past the effect on the bolt. Also not fond of pastels unless it's for a baby or little girl. When my decor was more the rusty reds, antique golds, browns, etc., I hated stark white but now I love it because the new house is done mostly in silvery blues and whites. I don't know about everyone else but my tastes have changed over the years. When I was 20 everything had to be purple! Then came the tans, browns, no color whatsoever, thank goodness that stage is gone! It's funny, my son and his wife, early 30's, like all the colors that I liked previously, the warmer reds, etc. They hate my colors now. I told them it's because I'm an old person who can't see in the dark anymore and am getting prepared for heaven with the silvery blues and white!

Interesting question. I don't like Sunbonnet Sue either. Although I love the look of bright colors with black, I find black really hard to work with. These old eyes just can't see black thread on black. I also think it s very difficult to decorate with black.

Another one who never cared for Sunbonnet Sue. Also, since I've started quilting, my tastes have changed. Before I quilted, (just started a few years ago) I loved the Lone Star and crazy quilts. I now have zero desire to make either one!

Not a fan of Sunbonnet Sue but I so like star patterns. I also find black hard to work with --probably because of my aging eyes.

Here are mine: Sunbonnet Sue or anything saccarine (sorry, that's how some things strike me), novelty prints, pink and big or busy things like Kaffe Fassett prints. Also black, white and red. Once upon a time I would have said purple but now I seem to put something purple in most everything. It has great energy as an accent.

But, that said, never say never because I just finished something B&W that I did because it was B&W and I'm now working on a huge appliqué piece that's all Kaffe Fassett prints. There's an exception to every rule and a proper use of everything. And it's also good to push yourself out of your comfort zone from time to time. ;>

Interesting question to think about.

Yeah, ol' Sue doesn't do anything for me, either. I'm also not a big fan of art quilts - I guess I like symmetry too much!

Colorwise - I hate orange, followed closely by brown. Though I do use both colors in small amounts when needed. A couple of years ago my guild's BOM series was sort of month-related (hearts for Feb, RWB for July, etc.). Of course, I won the October blocks, which were a focus square of fall fabric surrounded by fall colored flying geese! ICK! I finally put it together and tried to use it on my couch, but I just couldn't stand looking at it. A friend at work went on about how much she loved the colors so I gave it to her!

Donna

After I had been quilting a few years, I noticed that the fabrics I had didn't make quilts I liked, so I started going through quilt pictures I liked to see why - I noticed that I like TOT colors in quilts, not prints. So I've been trying to build up my TOT's and use up my prints, but now it has become a challenge to use the prints in a creative or unusual way so that I do like the end result. I also have been given fabrics that I would not buy myself, and have found that they make more interesting quilts as I find a pattern/color combo to use them in. I went to an estate sale last weekend, (those always make me kind of sad) and the lady had been an avid quilter with an unbelievable stash. The price was 6 pieces for $1 - no matter the size/yardage. At first I started picking fabrics I liked, but most were small pieces. So I put everything down, and started over picking the pieces with the most yardage. I ended up with some that I probably would not have bought in a store, but it built up colors that I'm short on in my stash and for $6 I probably got 20+ yards of fabric.
Karlene

Good question. I guess I don't like quilts who 'try too hard'. I feel the same way about interior decorating. When anything becomes too contrived to achieve an effect, it just strikes me as obvious.

I'm in the same camp with ritaweeda. My tastes have changed considerably over the years and I think that's a good and normal thing.

I'm not crazy about art quilts in general, but I have seen some on this forum unbelievably beautiful I loved. I am not crazy about some fabric combinations I find jolting and the purple/green ones sometimes hit me that way, but then find one somebody carries off successfully. I don't like quilts in batiks, but that I think goes back to my love of traditional patterns and fabrics. I would love to wear a dress made in batiks, however.

As a rule, I don't like fabrics in novelty patterns, but love the 'jar' quilts with fruits and veggies in them. If I were to make a baby quilt, and I'll be doing that soon, I would prefer a juvenile block design (maybe paper pieced) than a quilt with a juvenile print as a pattern.

And last but not least, I used to think the embroidered quilts in turkey reds were hideous.......but now am so intrigued by them I'm considering doing one myself.

Looking back on this rather long diatribe and reading it, I just came to the conclusion that there is always somebody out there who can take something I don't think I like and manage to carry it off so masterfully, that I end up admiring it. So, guess it's not so much the fabric or pattern, but how it's interpreted.

Art quilts are more or less like art, I suppose. Some of it is striking and speaks to various individuals. Some of it does not. Nothing needs to be "right" for everyone. Some of, OTOH, I think, just misuses the concept of art to substitute for thoughtful or balanced.

In the end, whatever is meaningful and satisfying to the maker. No quilt police thank goodness!

I don't believe in saying "never" as there are too many challenges that I have yet to meet but there are fabrics that turn me off completely.
Kaffe Fassett's designs both in quilts and fabrics are not my style and most likely will not find their way into my house.
I am not fond of bold, large, prints especially when they are used togeather which I see more and more in contemporary quilts. They often distroy a perfectly lovily design because they over power each other.
As to patterns I avoid those that have lots of pieced curves. As I told my DD I guess I am too square to appreciate them.
As to colors; I think pink leaves a lot to be desired and especially Bubble gum pink.
Jayne

I don't know what I like anymore because it changes all the time. I avoided black until using it in a class and now I like it for dramatic art quilts. I didn't like purple and now I love any I can find, especially batiks. I won't ever make a Sunbonnet Sue but I love the ones Sharon makes. I have done the Civil War style, black dramatic, novelty and will probably get to a traditional in 30s one day. I'm more of an art quilt person anyway so I want to try it all. I like applique because I can do hand work while I watch ball games.

Interesting question...I don't like those Turning 20 or Yellow brick road patterns. They look boring to me. Just ME though,no offense. I don't care for pastels,,they are pretty,just too washed out for quilts.I don't like working with black(my eyes too).Most any color is ok,,,just depends on the pattern its going in to.And I hate Bargello,although I admire those who make them. They somehow make me queasy with their "busy -ness".

Oh, I forgot Stack-and-Whack. They actually evoke a strong visceral response in me.

imrainey -- AMEN! No Stack 'n Whacks or One Block Wonders in my future - although my Round Robin buddies love them. I'm not a fan of bargello either. But I love Sunbonnet Sue, have only done one SS and Sam quilt though.

I have to make myself buy black, brown, and orange to have it on hand, but they do find their way into my quilts. Another reason why I love scrappy quilts so much -- they use every color and every print/plaid/stripe.

Years ago I organized a block swap in my guild using the Civil War prints and I did finish my quilt. But now I really don't like those reproduction fabrics at all and tried to give away most of what I had remaining. Now the 1930 repro prints are a different story! I have my "collection" in a special cardboard suitcase to keep them separate from the rest of my stash.

Teresa

I love the romantic Victorian looking fabric (Vintage Spools). But I must say I haven't made a quilt using that kind of fabric "yet". I also love the 1930's & Civil war prints and I plan on using them as soon as I feel I know enough to make something that looks really good. I'm using the stash I bought over the last 8 months or so (the first 8 months of my quilting life) to practice on.

I do see my likes and dislikes getting more defined as I venture out with patterns etc. But as someone said my feelings change all the time and as I successfully make one pattern and then another I find myself opening up and trying different colors and designs. I guess it's a process and I'm starting to learn how to "walk". ~LOL~

Susan

I haven't warmed to the completely random scrappy look; but I have determined that small blocks scrappy is fine - it is the large scrappy blocks that I find do not have a cohesive look to me and I don't care for that look. I do like planned scrappy~ although that may defeat the purpose of scrappy. I don't particularly care to sew on faded, dingy looking small prints & flowers. I really like fabrics in general, so I appreciate & respect a good design even though it wouldn't be one I would choose for myself.
I love looking at all of the pictures you graciously post here & even though I don't have the time to post many comments, be assured I am learning a great deal from the variety~I like them all!