stitch in the ditch is a utility stitch and is very useful for this reason.
i like to use it when i'm quilting on my frame. i use it to sew the 3 layers together in large areas - this is done by free motion although you could do it frame-less on the sewing machine with a walking foot and then attach the quilt to the frame.
once i have the utility stitching out of the way i'm able to remove my middle rod on the frame and i can move my quilt back and forth along the rods and work on the more intricate designs without have to tie off the thread and move the quilt forward.
if i never want the stitch in the ditch to be seen i use long basting type stitches as the utility stitch and then when i'm done with my intricate work i cut and remove all the basting types stitches.
if i had a 17 inch throat i wouldn't have to go thru this but i work on a domestic machine and have yet to see the point in spending the high thousands need to purchase this type of setup.