I like the purple and yellow string quilt but your sashing is much too wide for the size of the block. I like the black sashing because it makes the colors POP!! I would keep the embroidery blocks together since they were probably made by the same person. When finishing up other quilters blocks, I like to keep their original concept in mine. Refer to to the book that you have or use you computer program to come up with a different pattern. So many pretty fabric out there that could make these embroidery blcoks sing.