I, too, thought the stars looked like woven satin ribbons. They really pop on that black background. The bargello reminds me of the beautiful woven Native American blankets and the colors of it look like the muted tones of wool. Beautiful job.
So sorry about your dog. They are definitely members of the family, never to be forgotten. We lost our Goldens (siblings) 17 days apart, two years ago, and I still hope to do a portrait quilt of them some day. When we get done doing our traveling we hope to get two more.........his and hers : )