Sampler Quilt: In Progress

I've slowly been building blocks for a small sampler quilt in my quilting class.  Last night I laid out all my blocks (including the one that's not actually pieced together yet), trying to get a feel for what order looks best.  Sashing, cornerstones, and border fabrics still all need to be picked out.  Any suggestions?  Right now I'm think of going with plain white for the sashing but have no idea what to do for the cornerstones or border. 

My plan is to embroider a branch for the little bird and those green leaves that are currently floating in space.  The unpieced "Spool" block is going to have some hand embroidery as well of some bird theme.  A Rainbow of Stitches is providing lots of inspiration.  If your interested in cross stitch or embroidery at all, you need to check out that book!

Below is some up-close looks at a few of the blocks.  I've also been playing around with some simple photo editing after reading this post on The Sometimes Crafter. 

"Rail Fence"

"Log Cabin"

"Country Farm"