I’m finding, as I grow older, I’m becoming  a “beige” person.  My home is neutral tones of sand and brown and taupe, my clothing is starting to trend toward the non-colors, and now we even have a vehicle that is champagne colored.  Not that this is a bad thing, there’s something very soothing and comforting, but I’m kind of viewing it as a sign of conformity.  Recently in my sewing room every combination of fabrics I pulled for a potential new project seemed to be the same muddy color scheme.  My heart is really with those wild, clear, vibrant jewel tones and brilliant squint-inducing hand-dyes and batiks, but then I started thinking about the recipient of my project.  We have a wedding in December, so I started auditioning fabrics and combing through my old magazines (talk about having issues!).  Would the newly married couple appreciate something in apple greens and turquoise? What if it doesn’t go with their décor?  Do I invest a lot of time into a quilt that will be snickered at by non-quilting relatives who don’t recognize the color wheel components, the secondary and complementary undertones and use of linear and curved elements?  Would the newlyweds display the gift, or would it get pushed to the back of a closet with the plaid bath towels and the mountain of small  appliances?  Even worse, what if it got re-gifted?  Can you imagine?  No, I’d better stick with what’s safe and neutral.  I’ll choose a traditional pattern in traditional colors for a traditional gift.  It will elicit responses such as, “I have a place for that if you don’t want it”, or “ooh, that will look beautiful in your entry way/ bedroom/ livingroom”.  Quilt envy will be apparent on every face.  Yup, I guess it’s gotta be a beige quilt.  But there’s a wild one waiting for just the right opportunity…..