Jo, thanks for chiming in! I love looking at the quilts on your gallery. I'm a dedicated big stitcher now...just started quilting straight lines on a twin size on my machine and quit after the first line and started big stitching it. I'm happier and it looks so much better! My husband told me before I started it on the machine that it would look better hand quilted...he was right.
JJBlaine...nice quilting. I tried the #5 Perle cotton and found I didn't like how hard it was to pull through the fabric. Try #8 or #12; they glide through much easier. Needle choice can make a difference as well. For #12 thread, I use Thimblelady's XL needles. For #8 I use crewel size 2 needles. Hope that helps.