I'm designing a full size quilt for my son..he is very patriotic, a Civil Was and WWII buff, an all-around American and a Deputy Sheriff.

I got the Battle Hymn charm packs (got 2 of them) and I got 2 charm paks of solids that could be matched with the BH sqs. THey are all that "old" antiquated look...brownish aged kind of look.

I did the match on how many charm packs needed for a full size quilt...270! But I was wanting to do more than just sew squeares together. So I bought a tumbler and a half hexi template from MSQC and got them today. I was thinking of the friendship braid as the borders and in the dark red/blue,gree/browns., no prints.And use the tumbler with the prints and sqs for the interior of the quilt.

Questions:
. is the friendship braid AND tumblers to much? I dont like busy looking quilts and this is for a man - 30years old.
2. Can you put sashing between tumbler rows? I was thining of aalternating prints and solids of the tumbller shape and hten (for instance) a dark red 2" sashing, then another row of tumblers with dark blue sashing etc. THen border all that with a dark color and then the friendship braid as the final border. Am I getting to busy?
3. Using these colors...and theme...is there another design I could use....like one square, 2 colors? I want the prints to show so I can't cut them any smaller than possibly half to make a sq out of 2 triangles, but that is cutting it close to being to small.
4. Anyone have any pictures or know of links tha tmight have pics to see any quilts done with the tumbler? I have seen Jennys with the friendship braids..going same way and opposite...but with tumblers?

I'd sure like any suggestions. I have to finished the binding on the last t-shirt quilt and then then layering onthe one I made for myself (first time ever I made for myself BEFORE making for everyone else first!) and then the Strawberry Shortcake one for my GD is coming along...I have it all designed nad now just have ato start cutting squares out. But I think it will go quickly. '

I always start creating a quilt in my head while doing another one as I tend to "over think" as I go if I dont' make my mind think about something other than what I am doing! Plus...lot of sleepless nights going on right now and I figure I can utilize them and have my quilting future all figured out by the time it warms up and I can just quilt late into the night when I finally get sleepy!

Thanks for any suggestions of any kind! I also hope to do stippling on this quilt so if you have any suggestions of what kind works well with this size shape, I'd be glad to know that too!