I need some professional opinions

I finally finished my quilt top, what a long project. I have a new appreciation for quilters. First cutting over 500 squares, then sewing into 9 patch squares, then the disappearing 9 patch squares 56 is the total that I made. I made a queen size quilt. I tried to place my squares so that
all the colors would be in different areas, but I see one area that is all blue, Oh, well,
I will just call it the coat of many colors with a huge patch of blue. he he With my small machine I don't think I could quilt a huge
 quilt. And I don't have a quilting frame to do it by hand.
 With all the work put into the quilt I don't think I will knot it either. I am going to have someone
machine quilt it for me. I need help choosing a fabric for the backing as well as what color to have
the binding, (the edge color).
  All suggestions will be considered, I am leaning towards the quilting to be some floral design,
and the backing to be a tan with maybe a small calico print. And the binding to be a dark Chocolate Brown, I had even thought that a black binding would be pretty.
 I am open to all suggestions, or would you just go for a cream color for the backing?
  Also I have been putting out some of my Americana decor and forgot about this awesome doll
that Trish Ladybug sent me last year. She used to have a blog but doesn't anymore.But we still
stay in touch. I love the doll and most of all I cherish our friendship.
Trish sent me a surprise package and one of the items was a a doll, I had her on a shelf in my spare bedroom and forgot to get her out. I brought her out today and placed her on the old barnwood
cabinet that my hubby bought me last week, isn't she adorable. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.

I have always wanted a window box, would love to have them at all my windows, but I finally
got one, I can't wait until the flowers start to trail down the sides.Thought I 'd share a photo of it also.

A little Americana deor and some newly planted flowers.

I decided to take down most of my Spring decor and put up some of of Americana decor.
 I am also hoping that there will be no more frost, so I planted my flowers that I got from
the Amish greenhouses. It seems like after getting out of those small containers that they
just grew overnight. I especially love planting flowers in old primitive containers. Thought I would share some photo's from around my house.

Finished decorating my barnwood cabinet

Love Uncle Sam's

Some of my prairie collection

Love my shelf with old cutting boards, Betsy Ross and Teddy.

New flower arrangement in vintage milk tin

Americana couple and primitive wooden bowl

Uncle Sam Make-do, I love my little candle lights,

My hoosier decorated in Americana

Bunting flag over my sink

Stove Board

American display on my table riser

Uncle Sam setting on my desk in my shop

Americana cheese box display, and sampler

Cabinet with Olde Glory panel, and flower pot annie

Stars in my bathroom, and patchwork shower curtain

Little Bo, he helped me plant my flowers

flower in old chair, and window box

Hanging basket with Grandparent rules flag

Old Coal bucket full of flowers

Wiskey Barrell, too heavy for me to put on my deck, waiting for hubby

Another old chair display, wash tub of flowers 

and Hanging basket from my daughter for Mother's Day

Old Step ladder wrapped in grapevine wreath with pot of flowers

Quick trip to Pa., beautiful flowers and an awesome find.

I go to Lancaster, Pa. at least twice a year and never get tired of it. I love the peacefulness there
and riding through the country seeing all of the amish people working in the fields, and especially love the little sweet amish children. It is hard to get pictures of them, since they don't like their pictures to be taken. My best friend Sheila and I made a quick trip there Thru. spent the night and came home yesterday. When we go in the Spring, we go to several amish greenhouses, they are just lovely and have such reasonable prices. I also bought a beautiful flower arrangement in an old milk tin, and a few little treasures. I love little lights and was able to buy a few timer lights that I love.
  I didn't know until a day or so before we left for our trip that my one niece and her husband were also going to Lancaster this weekend and staying in the same motel that we did. We had to pick on them and wrote a silly note and put on their car that they were being watched. Then we happened to run into them when we went out for breakfast and the waitress seated them straight across from us.
 So we were able to visit with them, (wish I would have taken their photo). When we left the diner we had to play another joke on them, we had the windshield wipers stitcking out from the windshield  of their vehicle and put a sign on the truck just married, they have been married 6 years I think.
We laughed like a bunch of teenagers.I haven't laughed like that in along time.

My best friend Shelia and I

We wrote "Just Married" on a bag and put it on their vehicle

I bet those windshield wipers got alot of attention

New table runner that I bought, it has a feedsack emblem in the center.

Americana arrangement in an old metal milk container.

One of my timer lights

Bunting flag I put over my kitchen sink, I have a large one for my porch

Flowers from the Pa. greenhouse

flower that I need to plant

My daughter and I went to a local greenhouse today, basket she bought me for Mother's Day

More flowers that I need to plant in containers.

Cabinet my hubby bought me today at a yardsale for $20, it is made out of old barnwood from KY

.

Another one of my little timer lights

Making some quilt progress

As you know I have been working on a quilt from all of my leftover crafting scraps.
First I cut out 500 -5" squares, then I sewed them into 56 --9 patch squares, then I
made each square into the "disappearing 9 patch"  pattern. I finally have all 56 squares completed.
Next I  need to make all of my squares the same size and then I can sew them together.
I can now see why people charge so much for quilts, they are time consuming for sure.
But I am excited to finally see it coming together.
  I thought what can I do to make sure all of my quilt squares are even. I had a brain storm
to go to my local hardware store and have them cut me a piece of plexi glass, it works perfectly.
I just go around each square with my rotary cutter and cut off where needed.
Now to match up the squares so the colors will blend together. I think sewing them all together
will be the fun part, to really see my quilt come together. All I can say is a work in progress, more to come.

My plexi glass square, works perfectly.

some of my squares

Kinda reminds me of Joseph's Coat of many colors.

And to think so far it is all made from scraps.

Some good finds, and a visit to the greenhouse

 My husband brought me home a few surprises this week, An old hanging coffee grinder,
an old crock and a sign. I think the sign is a reproduction but still like it. If you have any information
on the coffee grinder or pitcher I would appreciate it.
   I think he paid $20 for the coffee grinder and $12 for the pitcher, so I know he got good deals
on both of those. I can't find any writing on either piece though so I know that makes them of less
value.

I am really fortunate to live near several greenhouses, I  went to one last week and had so much fun after
the long cold winter. The flowers just made me feel so good and everything was so lovely.
I don't like to plant my annual flowers until about the 15th. of May due to frost, but I had to
buy something. I like planting unusual things or things I have never planted before.
Check out the beautiful flowers that I bought.

Super Bells Cherry Stars, I love the yellow with the pink.

This is a wave petunia, Called Moonnight Eclipse, she how the edges of the flower is green.

Super Bells Lemon Slice