i love feathers and on my own quilts, I leave space for them. But if I had your quilt, I would make sure that your work showed first and then when someone got up to it close they would first spot the quilting. The exception is something like the Rose Quilt, I post this week. It had big open areas, it was a wedding quilt and the owner wanted something besides meandering. Her design was strong enough to stand up to the feathers and the feathers were used to compliment her design.
Feathers for feathers sake, no. Feathers to enhance a design, yes.