I love your quilt! I have done several log cabins and I start in the center of each block, 1/4 or so in from the seam and make a squared spiral in each block. I like that look myself. Hand quilting in the ditch is sort of wasted as you can not see the stitching. You sort of make that center square, and then go out like it is pieced. I won a first place ribbon on one that I did that way!