Appliqué work is easier to do on the top before sandwiching. Are you planning fusible appliqué with Wonderunder or needle turn appliqué? I prefer fusible appliqué myself and I iron Wonderunder or Mistyfuse to the back of the fabric and then cut out the shape.The shape is then fused with the iron to the background and the edge is finished with a machine buttonhole or satin stitch. I think tracing his hand for the plain blocks would be cute. You could trace and include his whole family's hands on the plain blocks and hand embroider the names underneath. Really cute John Deere quilt top!