I also used muslin for my foundation, cheapest I can find. Tried one without batting and I prefer the ones with batting. Have you tried the pattern by Dodi Poulsen where she puts a kite shape in the middle and adds strips. I saw her do this on a F&P show with Patrick Lose. She used black with white polka dots for the kites. When I did it, I used yellow(since that is the color of stars) and it came out quite well. Well, not quilted yet but the top looks nice. You can keep on using your scraps but they never seem to be used up.