I kind of did what you describe, I was sewing circles, so I QAYG by top squares and batting I then joined all the squares, spray basted batting and backing and SITD the blocks onto the backing. It means the quilting on the back is just large squares, but the batting is quilted by my circles and is within the recommended spacing for the batting if that makes sense, I used batik for the backing so enough interest in the fabric, although only stitched in squares.