bearisgray

Makes sense to me - it also might help keep the cost and leftovers to a minimum.

You might gather some of your fabrics from your stash that seem to work well together, and THEN go for the backgrounds and sashing.

I think it makes a quilt look more unified if you use each fabric in at least two blocks, preferably more.

I always think of patterns as suggestions - but I'm not a beginner beginner anymore, either.