Thanks, all, for the input and insights.
Because I have two to work with, I will experiment a bit. I did tell the gentleman who gave them to me that I would use one to make an item to auction for a worthy project at our church. It may end up being a smaller project, depending on my results. I plan to document my experience with photos and blogging, and maybe keep a portion of one of the battings intact to serve as a sample.
Looking at these, it's very evident that the maker was experienced and very competent. They're neatly made and show a confidence that comes from lots of practice. Apparently she made at least one for every member of her large family, including all grandchildren. My understanding is that she was a farmer's wife and they raised their own sheep, processing the wool themselves.
My personal style tends to be more modern/contemporary, so deciding on fabric and a pattern best suited to this project will be a stretch for me, but I like trying out new (to me) things, so it will be fun. I am hopeful that I can machine quilt it, but if not, I'm entertaining the options of big stitch handquilting or tying.
Today's a rare sunny day for Seattle so I'm going to air and sun one of them to freshen it a bit before I begin to conduct experiments.