I recently graduated from stitch in the ditch to meandering FMQ and not only am I enjoying it, but even from the first quilt I did it turned out much better than expected because of the confidence I gained from reading this board. Like you, I want to do the feathers and beautiful patterns on the borders and don't yet have the skill or confidence, but I found a product called Borders Made Easy. It's a long roll of paper with adhesive backing that you stick onto the quilt and just sew right over the pattern and then rip off the paper. There are various designs to choose from and they're quite easy to do.