Thanks everyone, and especially Bree and Tartan! I have never thought of using the difference in threads as a highlight; that's brilliant! I have some nice matte gray (SoFine) and some shiny turquoise (Floriani) so I will do that. I love the idea of circles to soften the elephant some. I had thought of bamboo for the background, and I think I will do that too. When I used it before, I quilted the stems about an inch wide. I think I will do this more 3-4" wide to keep it softer. I kept a piece of the backing to practice on. That will be good because my circles aren't great! They may end up more like rounded loops, but it will still be fine. Now off to quilt it. It will take me a few days, but it should be done before Christmas. I am thinking of just doing meandering stars and loops in the border, but I will decide that later.
Pam