How 'bout you sandwich it and just quilt around the objects in the print?? You wouldn't have to cut it and it would call attention to the objects. JMO

Looks like many of the pictures fall over onto other pictures.. I'd not be able to decide what to keep and what to give up.

I really like KarenM's idea, center panel and 4 corners... beautiful... place left over in back center? beautiful material. have fun

Don't cut........just quilt it I would suggest, it is so beautiful.

Since it repeats I would cut out one full block and piece that to another coordinating fabric for the back and use the rest for stack-n-whack or OBW for the front.

I would probably just keep it forever and never cut it LOL I did buy a book called Just Can't Cut It - has some good ideas. This fabric is gorgeous!

You have so many distinctive figures and characters, there is no way you can cut it without loosing something. If it were me, I would choose an icon from the material, use the lavender shade so prominent and applique it over some of those spaces to enhance the ones around it. You didn't say how wide it is, but if is 45 inches, yes, I would cut it to be 54 inches long or if 36 cut it 45 inches long. Then make a beautiful brown border.

Please don't cut it into pieces. You will loose the intention of the designer. If applique is not your bag, Just quilt and quilt and quilt around design, until it is finished.

I bet you would get many raves over it.

I don't think this fabric should be cut, my heart won't even dare to do fussy cut because i would still lose something so IMHO i would us it for a thick border where you could see all the pics in it and just make up blocks in the middle. Also one embroidery block in the center would compliment the frame...just an idea

Good luck

Agreed - you might find additional Egyptian motif fabrics on sale or clearance on line - it was the "rage" a few years ago. The larger scale (to my eye) needs to remain intact, rather than get lost in a stack and whack pattern.

Perhaps a larger-scale quilt pattern, such as Yellow Brick Road would do well to feature it, along with several complementary fabrics. Actually, a batik with a reed or basket look to it would do nicely as one such fabric.

I myself have some smaller-scale Egyptian motif fabric with cats in Cleopatra headdresses. I'll be cutting it into 2" wide strips to frame this (machine embroidered) saying: "Egyptians worhsipped cats as gods. Cats have never forgotten this."

Okay, I just posted, but I had another look and another thought. When you look at the first photo, your eye naturally picks out "rough" columns in the design. Why not cut the fabric into these three or so columns and leave them intact top-to-bottom, and create fill-in and side columns of simple patchwork blocks so as not to compete with the column fabric but complement it. Whatever colors you use in the fill-in and side columns' blocks will make the colors pop. Any leftover fabric could be cut into strips for binding or small blocks or block components throughout the quilt or as part of a partially pieced border.

Anyway, thanks for listening.