Winnowing down the precuts and 4 questions in quilt composition

While I was organizing my stash, this project emerged. I also have another project bag of black and white fabrics to supplement it. A quick quilt top or a good start on the beginning of one since there are 12 completed blocks to work with. 

I had accumulated 12 small ziploc bags of precut fabric. At first, I was just going to thrift them all back since there seemed to be a lot of uglies in the bunch. I ended up keeping 4 of the 12 bags that contained hst cornerstones, feedsack and animal novelty prints. 

I really do appreciate mystery quilter's work. If I can't use the fabric, which was around 80% of these last precuts, I send them back to thrift. Most times I am buying from hospice thrift so I feel it is a good cause too. 

Wish there was more of this intriguing print. It is a small remnant with some sun damage. 

Looking forward to a quilt show in my area next weekend. 

I am auditioning fabric for the borders on Gypsy Wife meets Jelly Roll quilt. It is a crucial stage in the composition of a quilt. So many decisions such as:

1. Do I make it darker or lighter? The border fabric will pull out the colors you want.
2. If you choose a novelty print, then the border will likely be larger to show off that fabric. 
3. If you choose solid color borders, what size should they be? Are you setting off the novelty print with accent borders? 
4. Do you want to miter the corners? If you are working with plaids, it could be a nice detail. 

Once borders are completed, the binding is the icing on the cake. It too can take a quilt in either a darker or lighter direction. Striped fabric used in binding can look stunning. 

It takes time to decide on the right combination of fabric, especially when you are using remnants.