I agree - ignore all those negative comments and do what makes you happy with your quilting.
I almost only stitch in ditch as after many many frustrating efforts, I cannot get the hang of FMQ. I choose not to send my quilts out to be longarmed because of the cost involved - for example, a scrap quilt (with barely $50 worth of fabric in it) would cost me about $300 to get longarmed.