When I first tried hand quilting, I did a small piece -- an Ohio star block with an appliqued heart in the center of it -- that I thought really looked good. The colors I chose were nice, my stitches were even, and the heart seemed to float above the rest of the block. I was very proud. The ladies in the group kept making fun of my "toenail grabbers," though, so I've done my quilting on the sewing machine ever since. I admire and envy the talent and skill it takes to do a really nice hand-quilted piece of work.