Prism99

Wow! Really nice quilt top!!!

For the border, I'm thinking the circles would be set off well by adding a white border (in the background fabric), a thin strip of multi-colored fabric that has some of the quilt colors in it (print), and another white border. This would create a frame around the circles. I would keep the colored border a print, so it ties in to the other fabrics already used in the quilt. Does not need to be a fabric used in the quilt, though.

I think the black stripe would work well as a binding, especially if cut on the bias so the stripes run diagonally, candy cane style. If you decide to do this, I highly recommend heavily starching the fabric before cutting the strips, as it makes adding bias binding much easier by stabilizing the fabric. My method is to mix a 1:1 solution of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and water, "paint" the solution on with a large wall painting brush until the fabric is saturated, let sit for a few minutes so fabric can absorb the starch, toss in dryer, then iron with steam. If using the black and white fabric as a binding, I would keep the binding relatively narrow -- not more than half an inch showing on each side -- so as not to dominate.

The batting determines how much quilting is necessary. If you want to keep the circles unquilted (and I like this idea), be sure to choose a batting that allows quilting lines to be as far apart as the circles are wide. That way you could free-motion quilt around the circles and/or stitch-in-the-ditch on all the block seams (I would use a narrow zigzag for the SID; much more forgiving than a straight stitch). Batting also determines loft. Some people like comfort-style loft while others prefer the more antique crinkled look. Hobbs 80/20 is a really good choice for a beginning quilter -- not too high a loft, but not a flat antique look -- but I can't remember how far apart the quilting lines can be. If your circles are too wide, I would still use the Hobbs 80/20 and plan on FMQing flowers in the circles.

Edit: After looking again for awhile, I think you would be better off with a colored stripe for the binding. A colored stripe (can be a single color) would relate better to the body of the quilt. You would want a dark colored stripe -- picking up one of the colors in the quilt that you especially like.