TY for all the nice comments.
Brat - I was hoping that my "calm" round would leave the door open for you and Lestrong to rev it back up with your creativeness.
Jaba - yes, each side is one long cut and the corners are each a single cut. All appliqued with 4.0 L x 2.5 w stitches - hence why it took me so long to finish it - but I think it was worth it. :-)