Connie: I used Quilter's Dream Select, mid-loft thickness, and a multicolored William and Morris cotton print by In the Beginning and was very satisfied with both. My preferred batting is wool, but I generally use cotton for gift quilts.
Nancy: More control over the curves is why I chose to hand-piece. I don't have near the mastery of a sewing machine than I do my 10 fingers so hand-piecing was far easier. For self-encouragement I told myself that If you can hand-piece even one seam, you can do thousands. As further encouragement, a friend reminded me that you can eat an elephant one bite at a time.
The red binding has gotten more attention than any single aspect of this quilt. I think it's just perfect!
Thanks for the nice comments.