This has been my project quilt for 4 years. I would drag it out and sew for a few days and then away it went for months. This month, I will finally be piecing all the blocks together. I went with a variegated background also. It was all random. I found that it really didn't make a difference, even if I got two of the same fabrics next to each other...it all looks good when done. Just make sure your pieces sew together well when you add the star point pieces. Don't give up...it really is stunning.