Need help slecting a pattern and coordinating fabric for a cactus quilt
 

I love cacti and succulents and xeric landscaping so I totally fell in love with this fun print from Hoffman called Desert Dawn Cactus in the green "Caterpillar" colorway:

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I want to make a quilt for my full sized bed that makes this fabric the star of the show. I've looked at medallion and panel quilts on pintrest but haven't found the right pattern to showcase this great fabric... Right now I'm most drawn to large squares with narrow sashing. Thoughts?

For the thin sashing, if that is what I end up going with, I'm hemming and hawing...

my first instinct was to go with dark purple solid such as Kona Cotton in Dark Violet:

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Or a pink in bright dragonfruit shade with texture like Cotton + Steel Add It Up in Lip Gloss Or Alexander Henry Once Upon a Time Heath in Hot Pink Or something a little softer like Indah Batiks Dotty Diamonds in Bubblegum
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Then I began to consider restful blues like Cotton+Steel Add It Up in Shibori, or Cotton+Steel Rice in Blue, or Art Gallery Twinklestar Dreamer in Blu
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The colorful Kaffe Fasset Strata line also appealed to me, particularly the Stone and Summer colorways
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I can only attach 10 files so I'll stop here for the moment :D

Any ideas or advice? I've never made a quilt before so I want to keep things a bit simple. However, I'm not new to sewing so maybe I can push myself just a little more than an absolute beginner?

Any and all observations are appreciated-- I'd love to read whatever you post :)

My first thought is a quilt called 'BQ' (stands for big quilt) My gd (age 9) is now making it and loves the geometric squares - and it goes together fast. The picture on the front of the pattern is pretty ugly - all your fabrics would make this stunning. This pattern was demonstrated at our quilt guild - I've seen it with many color combinations.

What a beautiful fabric! I favor the pinks as coordinates -- they remind me of cactus flowers.

I think that BQ is a Maple Island Design. There are several others from them that are similar. The first quilt using BQ that I saw was done in an outdoor print that featured bears. The quilts I've seen made from the BQ pattern looked far better than the one on the pattern packet. Part of the appeal of this pattern is that it utilizes large cuts of fabric without chopping up the design.

Just Can't Cut it is a good pattern for a beginner. https://www.missouriquiltco.com/shop...cut-it-pattern

I already knew how to sew and was able to figure out the pattern for myself. If you use 12 inch finished blocks, the focus fabric needs to be cut as 12 1/2" squares. The alternating block is 3x4" finished blocks and 6 inch squares. Your fabric cuts will be 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" and 6 1/2" squares. This pattern goes together quickly, because the only seam matching is at each corner. With all the fabrics you have chosen, you can probably find 5 that you would like with the focus fabric. Of, course, you can use more than 5, but the pattern only calls for 5.

Have you considered some of the greens that are in the print for the sashing?

I think the colors you have shown would detract from the cactus print - which I like very much.

A green might be "boring" - but then your cactus print would stand out more.

I was thinking the same thing--of the fabrics you showed, the stripes with more yellow would be my pick. But if you go for a brighter color, think about cactus flowers--how the very bright ones make the cactus almost disappear when you are looking at it. So maybe if you do use more color, some softer ones?

LOVE the fabric BTW

I agree with this.

i'd go with the hot pinks. love the cactus fabric