Sometimes a quilt will take my breath away, which means it has captured something in my heart. Then I usually spend some time "drinking it in" before I look closer to figure out what about the quilt was so captivating. As a newbie, the first time that happened was at a show in NC where Ellen Guerrant had some quilts displayed. Her work is so full of her heart, I just love it.

Design really gets me. I am most often drawn to quilts with one central radiant focus rather than block layout. (Lone Star is an example.) Color sings to me, but it isn't what makes me WOW. Usually it's seeing something that looks fresh and new. Which is amazing in this craft!

For me, I try to see beauty in each one. The quilt is important to the person that made it and I appreciate that. It's hard to say which one will make me say wow, though. It's not necessarily the degree of difficulty, although I am in awe of complicated patterns. It's not necessarily the color, although there are some colors I am more drawn to than others. It's not the style, although I am not as pulled to abstract designs. The quilts that cause me to say "Wow" are the ones that speak to my heart in some inexplicable way. I guess that was a long-winded way of saying, I don't know.

the first thing I see, is color, then I see the pattern, and then the quilting, it all makes the whole, and keeps you wanting to keep on looking, or come back for another look.

Me Too. Which means most of them. LOL

Color draws me firstly. I like mostly bright cheery color then it is the design.

Color and fabric choice definitely.

This is what I would say. I like a lot of different things, but the common denominator is what I'd call "visual punch", and is part color and contrast and part design. I tend to like brights, but there has to be something more than just bright color to a quilt for me to like it.

It's the color conbinations for me.

Color hits me first, then composition. I probably should not say it but the workmanship is the last thing I am drawn to.