ah the think thing lollol.. yah i tend to over think. make templates..change my mind...yah, overthinking can really do me in. like you said, go for it..get it done. i don't know if you are going to hand or machine quilt. but esp since you plan to show it, i agree w having at least a basic plan. and having such a fantastical arrangement of color and shape, i agree with having flow fr center design outward. movement. i like to try to work "movement" into my quilting. makes it more interesting to view. i don't do shows, i really have a hard time w schedules...unless it is a work schedule. i quilt for the sheer joy & pleasure of it. i worked hi stress for years...my quilting is not to be a stress source. work on my place gives me all the stress i need lollollol!!!

don't know what design method you use, graph, eq type or wing it...i use all three, i usually have a colored graphed drawing of the quilt...and when thinking about quilting ideas (which i am doing the whole time i am constructing..even change the block patches sometimes so i can work in an idea i got while sewing hahah)..anyway..i have used a thin piece of clear vinyl layed over drawing to play w ideas for quilting. is even easier now w dry erase pens and washable crayons, unlike when i came up w this idea yrs ago.

...just got home fr vet...got some watering done this am...so now i get to play. making a "prairie princess" sock monkey, and while playing on mqp yesterday did a bunch of search stuff, & i found a couple of sites w really good info for making pattern for authentic prairie sun bonnet for my little monkey. fr in europe finally got her 1st gr child. fr loves stuff about american west & american indians. ..so since so much of our early western history involved the central praries... oh, left out a bit...i like to make costumes for my sock monkeys. one for fam member was a clown, turned out so cute! but mama wouldn'let the child play with it, she didn't want it to get "ruined" !!! but pol won't let that happen...we figure that oma and gramma can make & repair..that is part of the fun! right?!?

and on those outer stars on the border? the line dancing and pebbleing sounds like sich a neat idea, but don't count on that area not really going to be seen. lollol there are always those of us that like to zoom in on photos and ck every little tiniest detail. thats how i learn.. some great "ohhhh, ok, i see now! that's how it's done!" moments over the years. esp at quilt shows. i can't & wouldn't touch a quilt displayed, but a photo of area of interest to me, then on my pc...edit & zoom..& learn :))