That is an awesome 'Shoo Fly' quilt. I agree that I wouldn't add any more color to it. I would just add a white border and white binding also.

Thank you everyone for the great comments and helpful suggestions. Thank you especially to DogHouseMom, Duster and Peckish who played around with their quilting software and gave some great examples. It is amazing how helpful those programs are. The piano key example, while conceptually seemed like a good idea, when you see it laid out like that, you can see how distracting the border would be.

I like the idea QuiltE gave and DogHouseMom and dunster helped visually expand on with some of the irish chain extending "into" the border, but I'm not really set yet on any one idea. I know that if I was to use that idea, I would have to shop for quite a bit more white on white as I have very little of that left. The thought of making so many more itty bitty 9 patches isn't great either!! I don't want a really big border as the quilt is plenty big enough already (I don't really even know what I'll do with this other than hang it over a quilt rack somewhere). I'm even thinking about not doing a border at all.

If I was really skilled in applique (which I have done none so far), my first idea when I started this quilt is very close to Peckish's idea of the vines. Mine would have little flowers in the same colors as my fabrics and green little leaves in all the green colors.

To the posted that said they have made 2 of these and still plan another--WOW!!! I am just barely going to survive doing this one. That is a lot of work. I would consider doing another similar to this but just doing the shoo-fly blocks and alternating with a solid block maybe. Also, I might consider increasing the size of the blocks to make it a bit easier as well.

I have already added my opinion & I am anxious to see which one you choose. I just wanted to state again how beautiful that quilt is. Such patience & determination but a spectacular job.

Wow! You did it! I have been following your progress on your quilt and am amazed at your determination and skill. It is a beautiful quilt but I don't think a piano key border would complement your handiwork. I agree with QuiltE's suggestion as the best way to finish your masterpiece.

I would like to find a superlative not used yet to describe how beautiful-of-this-world your quilt is but with 104 posts(and counting) for this thread and 260 for the other one I'm afraid everything was said. Oh! I have one: MAGNIFIQUE! I'm so impressed by your work and can't believe that you are a newbie. Do I see right? The little little little four patch in the shoofly is surrounded by 4 little little little triangles? Weren't they hard to sew? That is quite challenging.

I'll be watching you and I vote for Dunster idea of continuing the 9 patch into the border.

You are right, I was just trying to show her that she doesn't necessarily have to purchase a pattern for it. I wasn't even aware there WAS a pattern until someone else posted the link downthread. I guess if a person can't figure out how to add those extra squares to the shoo fly block, they could go purchase the pattern...

That is a beautiful quilt. I would use a plain border rather than the piano keys. Maybe a narrow colored border, picking one of the colors from the quilt, and a wider white border. I'll be watching to see what you decide. Hope you post a pic of the finished quilt.

I'm stunned just thinking about the amount of work in your beautiful quilt-to-be! I like to play with Windows Paint when I'm planning a quilt, so I took the liberty of testing the colors you mentioned (I couldn't capture the entire quilt, but this should give some idea of that it would look like with pink, aqua or lavendar. I will immediately erase your quilt picture from my computer after posting, but I wanted to show you how easy it is to actually test a color with this digital tool that comes with Windows.

I don't have any opinion about which color to use, but any of them would be attractive. I would not care for a busy design with this, but maybe even that would work with a narrow inner border to provide a break.

That is just beautiful....my first reaction was to get a print with many of the colors in your piecing.....

Instead of anything distracting from your beautiful quilt (a definite YOWZER!), what about a wider white border and if you are wanting some color, either bring in all of them with a scalloped border, or with prairie points in all the colors?