Dilemma

My next quilt has been semi-planned for ages. I can't say too much about it, but it will use two colours, one as a foreground, and the other as a background. The foreground will be certain stylised shapes, the background might be scrappy.

The design has been in my mind for long enough that I have got some of the fabrics needed. Looking at what I have got, I have huge quantities of foreground colour, far more then I need for this one quilt. However, I have a very limited quantity of the background. Although I am fairly certain I can easily get more of one type of the background, it also needs a special type of fabric: my quantities of this really are limited, and I don't know whether it is replaceable.

I need to make some experimental blocks before I can get the design more specific. A scrappy background might not work, but I definitely don't have enough of the special fabric to experiment with.

The concept for the quilt is not difficult to explain, but also most people who work in fabric shops would probably mis-interpret the idea, so I can't ring up and ask if they have anything suitable. (I know not everyone who works in a fabric shop would misinterpret it.) I'm not sure when I can get out to any to have a look. Not this week, probably not the next either.