SECRET #5 Using dark, medium and light florals alternately to the border brought drama without overpowering the colors in the quilt. This is Secret #5. It brought the outer border to life that an all-light floral border would not do.

Also, there was only one cornerstone used in the outer border - upper right. This is SECRET #6.

SECRET #7 was the orange cornerstones in the inner border used to draw the eye to the focal point of the quilt. To help you select the right color, keep in mind the foundation of the quilt is red and the colors range from burgundy to pink. So within that color family, I decided to go with a darker orange than what was in the quilt. There is one really bright orange in it, but didn't want a neon orange cornerstone but that would've been choice #2. The orange is the third block down from the top.

SECRET #8. It was easy to coordinate the orange and aqua because I needed a lighter color with the cornerstones and since the foundation colors are mainly light blue and aqua. It was easy to select. They are opposites on the color wheel -- red and aqua -- so that was the perfect choice. So SECRET #8 is that I chose opposites for the chimneys and cornerstones.

SECRET #9. I chose all small or medium scale prints.

SECRET #10. I chose all large scale prints for the border.

SECRET #11. It's the varying shades of colors that make this quilt exciting, not the colors. In other words, it's the "hues" that bring it to life and this one is the best secret of them all. You need secret #11 for an exciting quilt.

SECRET #12. I help 5 blocks out last to add in the end as "hightlighting" blocks to subsections. These all have near-white colors as the other half of the block.

SECRET #13. Low contrast blocks add interest to low lying color areas.

SECRET #14. A crazy patch border allows pleasing angles to the quilt.

In closing, I didn't take pics along the way making the quilt, but I hope the pics I showed will help you with block placement and color selection easier by showing you the close-ups.

For those who will make this in other colors, use the last 25% of the blocks to bring life to the other 75%. For example, you can work from scraps and make up a lot of different blocks of darks and lights paying no attention to color at all. After you've done 75% of the blocks, stop to analyze the colors you want brought out in your quilt and do them in those colors! Just use my SECRET #11 to have the best quilt ever!

Thanks for following along with me and I wish you the best and most fun making a colorful Happy Lappy and I hope you'll post your new creation fo Happy Lappy! :-D :-D

Your welcome! Can't wait to see pics of all the quilts that'll be made!!

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What a nice tutorial. Anyone should be able to make a Happy Lappy after reading this. What a lot of work you went to. Thank you for all your work.

Oh, I hope so! It's wonderfully uplifting just seeing it!!

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haha. Your welcome, aunt jacqui!! I just wish you could see it in person. The colors are drab in the picture and I tried adjusting but it's the best I could come up with. It really is a cheerful quilt!! haha.

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