If it is a quilt for me, it is gonna be something bright. Red is my favorite, but DH does not like red at all, so we compromise and I make one for me in red and then one for him in green! We do well at Christmas....LOL. When it comes to quilting, I like the looks of a quilt that has heavy quilting, but not the feel because they tend to become stiffer and not quite so cozy and warm. So the quilting will depend on the individual recipient and what the purpose of the quilt. Something to be warm and used (not just a pretty) gets enough quilting to secure the batting, but not so much as to lose the benefits of warm batting. Something that is just to be a pretty on the bed or wallhanging can be quilted more heavy. And while I see lots of beautiful quilts and wonderful quilting, it seems to me that all anybody uses is feathers or pantos. There are so many options and designs out there, I would rather see some creativity instead of cookie cutter quilting. But then that is just my opinion.