I have a king size hand applique quilt that I started out to hand quilting. A little ways in, I realized that I was not enjoying the experience, so I switched to doing most of it with machine quilting, with only some showcase areas done by hand. I'm pleased with this compromise. For me, making a quilt is primarily for fun, secondarily to make something functional and useful. Doing machine quilting didn't get in the way of either purpose for me.
RST