Discover tips and advice from quilting's top designers on how to coordinate yellow in a color palette. See quilts from Yolanda Fundora, Barbara Campbell, Exclusively Quilters, Maria Peagler, and more.

2. 1. Balance Yellow with Blue “ Yellow is an irrepressibly optimistic color. It is an excellent companion for quieter, more introverted blue. Their pairing makes for the perfect color 'marriage', one color balancing the other perfectly. ” — Yolanda Fundora, designer, In Praise of Blue & Yellow quilt, Cover quilt for The Quilter magazine

3. 2. Use Yellow as a Vibrant Background “ Paniers du Soleil, or B a skets of Sunshine, showcases traditional basket blocks, but the background is the w i ld card. I was nervous at first using the yellow as a backdrop for the baskets, but the quilt just sings and I ’m excited with the results. It has won a number of ribbons for b o ld use of color in local and national shows.” —Maribeth Schmidt , NQA Certified Quilt Judge Pattern from A Bouquet of Quilts from C&T Publishing.

4. 3. Use Yellow as a Neutral “ Yellow is becoming a staple in a quilter's stash. Our Eclipse fabric line lets quilters play with shades of yellow ranging from the buttery tones to bright gold hues. Adding touches of gray and black add contrast and definition, allowing quilters to balance out the bright. Yellow is showing up in more quilts, adding a touch of sunshine.” — Daryl Cohen, Marketing Mgr. Exclusively Quilters

5. Eclipse quilt, made by Deb Mosa, using fabrics from Eclipse collection from Exclusively Quilters. Pattern available at Exclusively Quilters website .

6. 4. Set a Mood “ Surround yellow with complimentary colors like brown, green, gold, white and blue. Yellow is great when its used as a cheerful, soft accent.” — Rochelle Martin, CrissCross quilt pattern, http://www.cottagequiltdesigns.info

7. 5. Challenge Yourself “ I designed this quilt as a result of a yellow fabric exchange from my local mini group. I chose to lay out the blocks light to dark shades from the center out. We were allowed to add one other color to the yellow fabrics.” — Barbara Campbell, www.loveinstitches.com

8. 6. Make Yellow Play Well with Others “ I calmed yellow down and encouraged it to play well with others in my Sunflower Summer table runner. The Dresden Plate sunflower uses best friends yellow, orange, and pink, while the blue background cools down the bright yellows. Yellow behaved herself in this quilt, when she’s used to being quite domineering!” — Maria Peagler Sunflower Summer pattern & kit 2010 Color-of-the-Month series

9. For more information on using yellow in your quilt’s color palette, check out Color Mastery: 10 Principles for Creating Stunning Quilts , available at your local quilt shop, Amazon , and my online store . Look for Maria’s latest book, The Frugal Fabriholic: Your 12-Step Plan for Saving More for Your Quilting Stash, available at Amazon’s Kindle store, the iPad bookstore, and Smashwords.com http://quiltsandcreativity.com http://www.colormastery.com http://www.twitter.com/colormaster http://www.facebook/colormaster Best Craft Book For 2009 Finalist!