"Don't Forget The ZINGER" by Darcy Brown Fifteen years ago, I decided to try my hand at a new art - quilting. I wasn't intimidated by the process of learning this. After all, I had practically grown up in the extra chair in my mother's sewing room, watching her create clothing, quilts, dolls, pillows, and anything you could make with fabric. Everything seemed to come so naturally to her - as if she was born to do it. My only attempts at artistic expression so far were what my dad would call "gee-gaws" - fluff crafts. But in my ripe old age of 20, I wanted to create something with real feeling attached to it. I took my expert consultant (Mom) with me to the fabric store. We were going to make a Triple Irish Chain quilt for my bed. I decided on a small print floral fabric that I liked and we built the rest of the colors and textures around it. One by one as the fabrics came together we laid them out on the table. Boring! But why? Everything matched perfectly. All of the fabrics had small flowers in it. Then why was it so uninspiring? "Darcy," my mother pointed out, "you forgot the zinger." She said it as if I had a clue what she was referring to. "You see," she continued, "these fabrics are too matchy-matchy. All of the prints are on the same scale and the colors of the complementary fabrics are an exact match to your main fabric. If you don't have a zinger, the quilt is pretty ... but not exciting." She then pulled a very bright blue tone-on-tone fabric with a shell pattern on it and held it up to the other choices. Instantly everything changed! Now with dozens of quilts under my belt, I still make sure I have a zinger. Don't be afraid to experiment with bold color and pattern. As you audition fabrics for a project, try color combinations you would normally avoid - you may be pleasantly surprised at the focal effect you can achieve. I have come to find black in small doses can really make a piece pop! Stripes set diagonally can create movement and visual interest in an otherwise blah configuration. Break out of the cookie cutter doldrums and think of ways to spice things up. The end result will be the satisfaction of truly making a piece your own!