"I had ditched around all the blocks in advance. There was lots of thread burying to do because of that, but much easier than trying to "travel" with the weight."
I gather you fmq around each block, but what do you mean about thread burying. I just make tinier stitches and cut the thread close. How did you start and end each stitching unit. I think you can teach us a lot. In fact, I'm running to get my book "Hooked on Feathers" which I bought but never tried. I will now. Absolutely beautiful.