For what it's worth, if you have lots and lots of pretty much the same color/shade/tone, then all you have to do is simply turn half of them over and use the back side for contrast. That's what I usually do when making picnic quilts. And I back it with the same, no batting.
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AND forgot to mention that when I know it's going to get a lot of hard use, I sew the seams, then flatten them out and zig zag over those same seams for double security. They never come loose. And I usually use a different color (red) in the bobbin, which winds up being the top of the spread.