Octagon quilt layout

It's a rainy morning so I've used part of it to do a job I've been avoiding - trying to complete the layout of octagons for my friend's quilt. I wanted it to contain no duplicates in a row - but whilst this worked horizontally, it didn't work vertically in all cases and became quite complicated because more than anything I was trying to avoid major clashes in colours and patterns.

So, here is what I have come up with and having walked around it and photographed it from all sides....I think it's ok. And really, if it's going to be loved and used as a cosy cover-up, does it really matter that there's a purple Oriental pattern next to a purple-wash cotton?....

The light isn't great today and the flash wasn't doing the colours justice, but hopefully sans flash this has captured the essence quite well.

The rows are now numbered and stacked in a box, and over the next few weeks I will sew together a row at a time.

 
The small interconnecting squares are being basted between other jobs.....

 .......so considering that this is to be a Christmas present, work is progressing nicely and on target - always a good feeling.