What do I see first? I'd have to say my first reaction is more 'feeling' than 'seeing', but it's always the sum total of all the parts plus, in good works, the spirit and voice of the maker. The ultimate goal is to have all the elements of the quilt blend together so ideally that none of them stand out above the rest.
Specific color isn't as important as the way color has been used to make a statement, enhance a design, and evoke an emotion. Specific quilting isn't as important as the way it has been used to enhance the colors and shapes, reinforce the design, and entice the viewer to come closer. Specific prints aren't as important as the way they have been used to support the design, add to the mood, and provide some intimate details.
Separately they are just instruments, together they are a symphony. The design, the pattern, is what unites the other elements...the conductor if you will...and facilitates the music that is a quilt. So, to answer the original question...first I hear the music.
