You can do a lot of neat stuff without ever doing any FMQ'ing. I really enjoy using the built in decorative stitches in my machine in place of quilting, combined with embroidery, and stitch in the ditch. Here's a little table topper I just did. I quilted it initially with FMQ'ing, didn't care for the effect with the embroidery, so I ripped it all out and replaced it with very simple quilting and decorative stitches.
Just a thought.
