I do a lot of stitch in the ditch and FMQ using stencils. I'm not good at FMQ patterns that I can't actually "see" on the quilt as I'm quilting. Even meandering/stippling is hard for me. I've purchased a ruler for ruler work but haven't used it enough to get comfortable with it yet. I will master it someday. I've never sent a quilt out to be quilted by someone else.