I have a longarm (w/stitch regulator, etc). I do love it. It's really fun. I never thought I would like anything more than piecing...but I was so wrong!
Before that, I quilted on my Singer. An over-sized king size convinced me I needed a LA. But I had to do a lot more quilting on the Singer before I decided to spend the money. Now, I'd rather quilt than piece :)
On the Singer, I used the scrunch method once my stabilizing was done. First I stabilized, using whatever method I desired (pins, water soluble thread, straight lines, etc.) and then scrunched around for the more detailed designs. Hope this helps!