I have no advice about the quilting ... I can never figure out how I should quilt my own quilts. I like the paisley border with no blue border strip (& with paisley binding). Having said that, it really doesn't matter what I like; you'll figure it out after you study your options a few dozen times ... that's what I have to do quite often and eventually I make a decision that I'm happy with. Most importantly, the quilt top is lovely. I really like it.