I come from the generation when pink and grey/charcoal were all the rage. I like the suggestion of using pink florals, too. The quilt on my bed right now (wishing I know how to post a picture) is a triple Irish Chain and the dominant chain is a somewhat dark magenta and then I used pink florals that have a white background. It turned out quite pretty if I do say so myself.

Have you considered using an ombre fabric? You would have all the colors that play nicely together and it would create a random spread of colors with what ever you choose for background. I am always surprised by the end result of using ombre fabrics, pleasantly surprised.

I have an older "coffee table' book titled, Living With Quilts by Phyllis George. The cover photo is a pink and white double Irish chain (I think it's a Double Irish Chain). I've kept the book because I love the quilt on the cover. Of course, the staging is perfect. Here's a link to the book on Amazon. It's definitely feminine, but I wouldn't call it "childish".
bkay

skip the light background and use mixed grays

Your quilt sounds lovely and I would have loved a picture, too. Yes, perhaps a more sober colour would be nice in addition to the pinks. I rather like the idea of brown with it.

I had not thought of ombre fabrics. They had completely skipped my mind. Thank you. It would seem an obvious consideration due to the variety of shades inherent in them. I will look into that idea today.

I looked it up and the pictures are shown online. It is definitely feminine which is fine; but I agree that it is not childish; you are exactly right in that is what I wanted to avoid. It looks a fine quilt for an adult. Thanks for leading me to this. Did you make one of these?

I am not fond of grey in quilts for some reason, But I agree a more sober colour, like brown for instance; would certainly make it a bit less childish. Thanks for helping.

The fabric you describe sounds wonderful. I like florals a lot and have seen some stunning iris prints. I don't mind feminine at all.

Throwing in another idea for you, ShelTluvr... being that you said you like florals ...

How about a small floral print that reads light (or even white) for the background? Then for your chains something with more oomph, to ensure contrast, so that the chains sit up nicely against the background print.

And oh, don't forget the backing ... could be the same as the background fabric or a larger floral print, that works with all.

WMUTeach suggested an ombre. Similar but different, there are some nice batiks that will give you variable colours in one fabric. Or look for some of the blenders that have shading within them, as they too can be quite show and give the colour variations, along with some movement.

Your quilt can certainly be feminine and adult'ish ... and not childish!
ShelTluver ... ENJOY the journey!