Hand stitching is what I like to do when quilting, though am unsure about traditional thread color. I've been reading an Amish Quilt book, but information on thread seems strangely missing from the topics. From the pictures of similar quilts it looks like the thread matches the background, but then again the pictures are quite small compared to actual size and it's hard to tell. I think I'd better research it a bit on the net first, unless one of our quilters here knows?
I pieced the back tonight and got it all set for basting and marking in the morning before work.
Oh, and thanks for the kind words. I know it's a simple piece, but that's the idea.