Thanks so much for all the nice comments. It feels good to see these from people who do the same thing.
Nancy- the vest fabric is one of the fat quarters my sister gave me last August. It's wonderful to have such variety to choose from.
PenniF - When I first started doing applique, the lady who taught me said to put some kind of paper under the block, and when it is torn away later, the paper stays under the stitches. I works great. She said it can be freezer paper, 8 1/2 x 11 copy paper, or even a coffee filter. I mostly use the copy paper because it does not curl.