Lois,
Loved both the quilts. They are so bright and cheery and I know those lucky little girls will treasure them for years to come. Your butterflies are such a special touch. Great idea.
I cheat some times and do "big stitch" quilting. It looks good but also helps me to complete a quilt that would otherwise take me forever to hand quilt with normal size quilting stitches.
I agree with you and don't know how others manage to machine quilt anything larger than a mini. I still haven't mastered machine quilting and get very frustrated. Really need to learn as those UFO's keep piling up and need to be completed before I die. :D