Mom's Quilt; Strip pieced block, a collaborative effort .

I have been staring at these blocks that my mom (by heart and in-law) had given me during our last visit in Vancouver B.C. Inititially I had thought I would add more of the same blocks as i had a couple of the same fabrics from moms fabric stash, so i started strip piecing, there are a few really great tutorials out there that show how to do this particular block, i will have to track said tutorials down again and figure out how to add the link.... I pieced a dozen strips or so and held it up to the quilt, i was way off, i should have been auditioning prints from the start, i figured as they were similar value it would not matter, i was wrong...So back to the drawing board... I layed out all the blocks on the design wall, one more row of blocks would have completed this design perfectly but alas, i did not have the right fabrics, so I decided to add some borders to it, maybe i would use the strips i pieced as a postage stamp border instead. I auditioned a couple of the same prints used in the blocks and found i preferred the a solid white as it brightened it up where as the other prints made it look muddy. The white fabric gives your eye a break from all the busy prints while showcasing them in the best light. I was going to add another couple borders but decided against this after auditioning several, sometimes less is better.
Now it came time to make my sandwich, i taped my backing- a vintage floral, also from moms scrap stash, down to my cutting table and layered batting and our quilt top and spray basted between layers. I have decided to try my hand at hand quilting, this is what mom does. I have only quilted by machine, i do enjoy free motion quilting, but i do not lime the shine an invisible thread puts on a top, and that would have been my only option on this top or i could have used a taupe or grey thread, the thread would have really stood out in some places and disappeared in others given the variation in colour and print. So, my mom is an amazing hand quilter, her stitches are so tiny and even and straight where they should be straight. Mom marks her quilts with bits of masking tape, after stitching 3/4of a block and finding I have some really wobbly lines, i tied and buried my thread last night , i think today i will be using the tape, and i will have to try out the thimble, it would help , if i could push the needle back up from the backing without getting stabbed. Pictures to follow, i just have to finish my tea...