Well, I don't have your particular problem (I do okay at freehand stiples/meanders), but this topic has really been helpful to me because I am quilting a quilt with a star/moon/meander stencil, and it was/is driving me nuts. Looks okay, but nothing to write home about, and I had hoped that the stencil would make it easier than freehand. And probably it is better than I'd do with freehand stars, but still...
But all the great tips on FMQ and the encouragement really helped me too! And thinking about it taking 100 hrs to get really good helps put in perspective the probably 20 hours I've spent on FMQ.