I also hand quilt. The patterns I use are all the traditional ones that "Grandma" would have made so I quilt each block 1/4" from seam. When I look at the ones my DH's grandmother made, that's how she did it and guess what? All the stitches aren't exactly the same length? We admire those so much but somehow don't notice that the stitches are always even. Hand quilters, let's stop being so hard on ourselves! Let's enjoy the process and keep up the tradition of hand quilting!