Oh my gosh - I grew up in the 50's and our outfits were always made up of one plaid or print and two matching solid colors, which included our socks, hair ribbons and any other accessories! My very first quilt was a chinese coin quilt and it took me forever to pick out about 20 different fabrics to use in the quilt - plaids, checks, tiny little florals and polka dots!! I could almost feel my mother reaching out from heaven, tapping me on the shoulder, wanting to tell me that you can't do that!!! After 3 months of those strips being moved around nightly on the dining room table, I took the plunge and sewed them together and they looked wonderful. Studying the quilt top as I hand quilted, I realized that all of the fabrics that I had selected were in the colors and prints that my always loved and wore. It was a moment of revelation to me that my mother would have loved and approved of this little quilt which has become a tribute to her! And it released me from a fear of trying out new and different fabric combinations.