You have brought up a subject that I have been thinking about alot lately. I have hand quilted everything I've done until ayear ago when my son got married and I knew I wouldn't be able to get a hand quilted quilt made in time, I am very slow. I designed a rather intricate quilt, with both hand applique and machine pieced. It was my first time to send a quilt out to be quilted. I was very disappointed in the quilting- not the long arm quilter, but in what I asked her to do. I knew that she was fairly new at quilting, but I knew I really couldn't afford what others cost. I have since had her do two more quilts which I have been much more pleased with, I knew a little more, so I could ask more for what I wanted. But, I still am not really happy with the quilting. I can't afford to pay for custom quilting of my quilts, and hand quilting takes me so long, unless it is very basic. I just feel so sad, I guess, that I have this pretty great quilt (forgive me for tooting my own horn) and I feel like the quilting of them has dropped them down a level. I have a 24 year old Bernina and only recently discovered that it has the capability of quilting, the feed dogs drop, and I do have a darning foot. I made a practise "quilt" and gave it a try....I couldn't even follow a line!!! Wow, was that a shock. Anyway I feel like I have soooo far to go before I could even consider machine quilting anything small, and something large seems impossible right now. My guild has a show coming next June and when I think about putting these recent quilts in it, I'm kind of embarrassed about the quilting.