Didn't read all the comments, but SITD is not a cop out, neither is having someone longarm your quilt. I personally don't enjoy SITD because it is hard to stay there. Sometimes I use a fancy stitch instead of a straight one. Gives it a different look. Someone on here posted a video about quilting your own quilts. It was very good and she had a lot of good advice. Maybe someone could post a link again so you could watch it.