Thanks for all of your suggestions! I definitely think muslin is a go. I might lean towards an off-white to keep the quilt a little lighter, although black sure would set off the colors.
Shemjo - they are hand pieced with tiny, tiny stitches. I will definitely need to practice my hand sewing before taking this on.
Oh, I hope I can show you a picture of this when it is finished. It might be years from now, but I'll give you some progress pics as I get things accomplished.
:-) :) :-) :) :-) :) :-)