My very first quilt top (a sampler). Sat for a year before I finally worked up the courage to try quilting it. I sandwiched and pinned it for machine quilting, knowing virtually nothing about it (didn't even own a walking foot!). Quilted one block and it looked awful. My machine was an old JC Penney workhorse but it did not like quilting and skipped stitches like crazy. So I pulled it out and just started plugging away handquilting it. Yes it took a long time but I just quilted it while watching TV taking frequent breaks from it. Since then I have hand quilted a total of 3 bedsize quilts and am currently working on my fourth. I have also hand tied 4 queen size T-shirt quilts. For a frame of reference, I took up quilting in 1990. Yes it takes a couple of years for me to handquilt a bed size quilt. I work with a lap hoop. However, I now find it difficult to watch TV idle. In fact, if I didn't have some form of hand quilting or hand sewing available to me always, I'm afraid I would go into withdrawls! It is very therapuetic and as far as I know there is no time limit on how long you can take to complete a quilt. I have only FMQ smaller projects (wall hangings and table runners). All other machine quilting I have done (other than practice squares, which BTW are absolutely essential) has been either SID or straight line grids done with the walking foot. I have yet to attempt anything larger than twin size on my domestic machine but I know it can be done.
So yes, I was afraid to actually quilt but once I took the plunge with hand quilting there was no turning back and I know it will be the same when I really sit down and practice seriously with FMQ other than meandering, straight lines and SID.