To sash or not to sash - that is today's question!

There are a lot of blocks I made for "Japanese Taupe Quilt Blocks" that haven't been assembled into quilt tops yet. I plan to make sampler quilts from them, as I did with the blocks from "Japanese Quilt Blocks". The brown blocks (below) were made with the idea of a simple checkerboard sampler quilt, alternating patchwork and applique blocks in a checkerboard without sashing, as I did with the sashiko and patchwork blocks in the "Kasuri Sampler" quilt from the previous book. I am going to add a striped border too, using my favourite tsumugi striped cotton. The blocks are shown together in the diagram below.


The dark blue fabric in the kasuri quilt is the same dark blue tsumugi cotton in the sashiko blocks and the patchwork blocks, woven with a black warp and blue weft. Although the new quilt is closely coordinated, there are many more fabrics used. It might look better if I add sashing strips between the blocks, like this (mockup) -


The woven sashing effect is one of my favourites. I used it in the "Kamon Sampler" below and have used it again in the Kimono quilt on the cover of the forthcoming "Japanese Quilt Inspirations".


If I use a wide stripe instead of the ombre shaded fabric above, it should be possible to achieve a slightly 3-dimensional effect to the weave, like with the more convetionally pieced sashing on this sashiko sampler.


The tsumugi stripe I would use for the sashing is the same one used in the border on the "Hakone Yosegi Sampler" below.


What do you think? I could get the quilt basted and work on it during my trip to Australia too, handquilting of course.