i am actually quite happy to use the blocks to make three over-sized laps instead of one bigger-than-california king. for one thing ... way easier to sandwich and quilt. also, i can now play around with the arrangement; experiment with different borders; the quilts will coordinate, but no two will be exactly alike.
i dont' know yet what i'll do to #2 and #3, but this one will be finished with a combination of machine quilting (the centers), hand quilting (diagonals around the centers), and the back-stitch tie method to secure the chains.
i still can't freemotion worth a plugged nickel so i pre-quilted the centers before i assembled the blocks.