Beautiful blocks..I love them all.Kris, that hummingbird is awesome. And kellie I can't believe it is your first Dresden plate...did you make it using the MO quilt company tutorial?
Robyn, I am not sure if you found the answer to you question, but I have before used the applique stitching as quilting,and it works just fine,especially on small projects. You can sandwich the block and then stitch your applique pieces with a satin or whatever stitch you are using, it actually makes for nice quilting on the back, and it may be the only quilting you have to do depending on your block.
I pieced my block yesterday and have it sandwiched, will quilt if today and in the mail it goes tomorrow.