I only hand quilt, and after reading your post about your plans, I would first SITD. This would keep the block stable, with invisible stitches.....kind of like permanent basting, and equally puff up the star. Then I would quilt the inside of the star per what ever design you chose. Then I would quilt the block next to it the same way. Lastly I would quilt the background between the two stars per the design you have chosen. I save the background of two blocks for last, and do them together, because often the design flows over two backgrounds to give the illusion of one block.