thanks so much for all the help, guys!
the fabric we make most of is multicoloured, sort of hand-painted but with dyes. Colourwise I suppose a bit like the backgrounds on some of the bali batiks etc. We started making them specifically for people doing very realistic floral applique, so there are lots of shades and subtle blends even on the analogous pieces (say yellow-peach-pink, for eg), and often quite textural, so it's nothing like using solids. Anyway it sounds like if we did her 12 FQ + metreage for the border bits she'd have enough to go on with (esp if we throw in a handful of scraps lol).
thanks again, really appreciate the help!