I have been sewing and making quilts for more than 40 years. Except for the charity quilts I make or ones for relatives or friends that know nothing about caring for quilts, I hand quilt. There is a satisfaction to handwork that can't be duplicated on any machine. I worked for almost two years for a Bernina dealer and feel in love with their machines. Since I usually produce at least 20 Linus quilts a month I do a lot of sewing. Those quilts I machine quilt but they are no larger than crib size. I also do very basic straight line quilting every four inches or so using a simple decorative stitch and variegated thread to add a little decoration. I will admit that just attaching the binding by machine to a larger bed size quilt is all I am willing to tackle on a sewing machine, even one as good as my Bernina. The physical effort it takes to constantly adjust the quilt and force it through the machine's throat takes all of the joy out of the task. If you have done handquilting in the past you realize that it also allows you to enjoy conversations, TV, music etc. while getting something accomplished. Just my two cents.