Originally Posted by
Mdegenhart
I think your colors need to be softer. All I see is the sashing & nine patches. It makes the embroidery fade away into the background.
this was my first impression as well. Here is a link to a quilt that might give you some inspiration. I recently longarmed a hand appliqued bird quilt for a client. While the circa is not as old as yours, it still had that same feel. The client used a calico floral print print fabric and solid corner stones for hers. Then did a 3 fabric outer border. It really framed the birds nicely.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...d-t262627.html