are you hand quilting or machine quilting? I hand quilt and I think about the blocks, the person it's for - male/female...I like densely quilted quilts. I never stitch in the ditch because a) it's hard to stay in the ditch and b) if i'm doing this work, I want people to "see" it. I do a lot of echo quilting - 1/8" to 1/4" from the seam.