I bought this book a year ago and need to shop for some fabric. I think I will do batiks because I do really want all the fabrics to blend adn I think it will be easiest to find fabrics that blend, if I use batiks. I am waiting for December when I can get 30% off one of the local Quilt Shops for a reward for spending a certain $ amount during the year. The 30% will be a huge cost savings --especially if I buy batiks! I love the Blooming nine-patch quilt and glad that the pattern includes a very large size cause I want it for my bed and I like the quilts to be very large for my bed.