I have tied several Trip Around the World quilts. They are made of small squares and have held up very well. I wanted the fluffy look also and I used a fat batt. I did not use embroidery floss. I used crewel yarn and did the X thing on each joint and then channeled between the material to the next junction that needed a tie. The crewel yarn is very strong and you only need one piece of it .You need one of those really long needles with a big eye. If you have any question PM me about it. I made my X very tiny and they can't be seen really. My son is still using one I made 20 years ago as a spare cover when we come to visit. It looks a bit shabby but it's still warm.