Gay, recommending that DonnaC (and the rest of us) check out the many versions Bonnie Hunters' last Mystery Quilt was terrific advise! I can really see how the use of small prints (US definition of Calico – cotton fabric with a small, all-over floral print) works much better that large prints or fabrics with a lot of stark contrast!
I'm sometimes tempted to use solid colors, or color-on-color (e.g., orange on orange), or low-contrast batiks to avoid risking too much busy-ness. But now I see more easily how calicos are successfully incorporated.
Thank you!