First, I think your quilts are gorgeous. I've loved that old butterfly pattern and always want to make it, and now, thanks to you, I'm digging it out and will start cutting it tonight or this weekend.!!
I too am impressed with the good machine quilting (Harriet Hargrave and Diane Gaudinsky come to mind) and lament those quilts with big curliques and swirls that detract from the quilt. Currently, I do both machine and hand piecing and must say that I have better control over my work with hand piecing. I think it's a matter of patience and whether one buys into the notion that nowadays everything must be quick, quick or one is wasting time.