To all the Quilts I've Loved Before: The Plan

When I started planning this quilt, a certain quilt kept popping into my head: this oh so lovely Single Girl quilt from Blue Elephant Stitches.

What I love most about this quilt is the use of cream/white not-solids for the background of the rings. It reads as a neutral but it's so much more interesting. I know I will never come close to the perfection of that quilt but I will try my best with what I have. I'm just crazy about quilts with non-solid backgrounds! It will be a fun adventure!

I'd like to make a block a month but I don't want to feel pressured to commit. I want to be kind of chill about this quilt, just have fun and see where it goes. I don't want to come on too strong. That is, afterall, why so many of my past quilt relationships ended.

Here's the plan, in brief:

Background fabrics: various shades of white/crème/tan, solids and prints.



Main fabrics: all the fabrics I like from my stash, any colors I feel like (but not purple because, well, I don't like purple.)

The blocks:
Blocks will all be 16.5" unfinished. The designs within the block will all be different sizes...probably around 12-15"?

The layout:
5 x 5 squares = 25 squares
80"x80" finished quilt

Designs:
Two or more of each design will be used, probably with different sized pieces to add more variety. I might come up with more to add to this list but for now, these are the blocks I'll be focusing on. I've gathered a lot of inspiration projects if you too feel like being inspired!

Clamshell (my current obsession)
Molly Flanders
Melissa
Stitched in Color
Three Kitchen Fairies

Dresden Plate
Raggedy Owl

Grandmother's Flower Garden (large)
Karen C.
The Eternal Thread

Grandmother's Flower Garden (small)
S.O.T.A.K Handmade

Hexagons
Comfortstitching

Stars
Stitched in Color

Coffins (Lozenges?)
The Workroom

Triangles
Stitched in Color
Little Edith Bee

Cathedral Window
Mary Dugan
Quilting Barbie

Lonestar (8 points)
Comfortstitching
Badskirt Amy

Lonestar (6 points)
Sew Me Something Good

I'm planning to start my first block this weekend! And just in case you find yourself swept up in a whirlwind romance with any of these blocks, I'll be sure to post any templates I make as well as descriptions of any techniques I'm using. This is going to be so much fun! Wait...dang it!...play it cool, Crystal, play it cool!