Quilt for a Blessed Event

I've started a new baby quilt (fun, fun, fun!) that will be a gift for a young couple expecting the first addition to their family in December.

These two are very special people and are so excited about their baby. Fortunately, Mama is beautifully calm and serene; Papa may need a couple of large doses of Valium sometime within the next three months.

They both decided that they liked the looks of 30s fabric for the baby's quilt and were especially fond of pieces that showed small figures and caricatures. So I dug through my stash and found a good quantity that would give the scrappy look I envisioned. (Okay, okay, so I did buy three new pieces of fabric. But they were really, really necessary for the color range I wanted. Honest.)

Here's what I have done so far. The blocks will finish at 8" square and the white strips are narrower than the colored strips. (White are 1/2" finished and the colored are 1" finished.) This may not have been the wisest choice I've made recently. As you know, when working with a strip as narrow as 1/2", being off even a teensy bit (moi?) with your 1/4" seams creates havoc of all kinds. Plus, although I haven't actually incurred serious damage to any fingers yet while pressing, it's been very close several times!

One rejected block so far. Too pink. I think. (Baby's sex is not known.)

Curious note: Have any of the rest of you noticed that EVERYONE seems to be working with variations of square motif blocks? Must be something in the air.