I have a very large quilt that I started and put aside. Why? Because I chose to do some ruler work. There isn't room for the excess quilt and the ruler in some areas. I have another large quilt on the machine now. It's going well. Why? Because I chose a simple pattern that I can get in and out of tight areas easily. This one is Sew Very Easy's "C" pattern, but I've done spirals, too, with no problems. Meandering, loops, there are lots of choices that are forgiving.
I don't roll mine - just puddle it and smooth a big enough area to quilt, then move on. Center to edge as much as possible.