I don't care for my own handwriting, so I will be doing mine on the computer. One think I can suggest for handwriting them is to draw some straight lines with a sharpie on a piece of cardboard and put it behind your fabric. You should be able to see the lines through it and keep your text straighter. My mom did that with plain pads of paper when I was a girl.
Are you still in Attleboro? I was born there and lived on Commonwealth Ave. until I was a teen!