I just finished 3 quilts, for 3 of my grandchildren. I finished them with a combination of tying and machine embroidery redwork designs, mainly because I can't afford to send them out for professional quilting.

I also just completed a denim/chambray quilt, and machine quilted it using my trusty straight stitch machine. I used a combination of stitch in the ditch (SID) and straight lines.

Have never tried hand quilting. Am planning to try using a knock-off of the John Flynn quilting frame, on some scraps.

I hear ya, Freezeframe!!! My sentiments exactly!! I've tried FMQ but I'm like you...I can only relax for a very short time and then I start to tense up and it looks like crap...LOL

So, I've decided that I'm strictly a SID (which I don't really care to do), or diagonal (which I like a lot!) or any other kind of straight line quilting.

I just finished a table runner using a Dessert Roll and needed some type of quilting other than straight lines on the blocks because they were very muted pattern shades (very pretty!) so I decided to look for a machine embroidery quilt design and just use my embroidery machine to do the work for me. I found several that I liked on a particular web site and did stitch-outs to see what I liked best. I decided on one and did each of the 7 blocks and it came out beautiful! There's no way I would have been able to do the design even if I lived 3 lifetimes...LOL. Easy peasy and I didn't have to hold my breath or tense up once :)

So that's how I "cheat" sometimes on smaller projects :)

I love FMQ. It's my favorite part of the process. Meandering is relaxing to me.

I cannot FMQ for the life of me. When I want a design or something other than straight lines, I draw or trace a stencil and then just stitch on the lines. I don't drop the feed dogs (that terrifies me!!) and I can do circles, leaves, etc. I use the stencils that I also use for hand quilting.
I'm also a "breath holder" when it comes to FMQ. The worst is the pain I get in my shoulders--couldn't raise my arms for 2 days!! I don't know if what I do qualifies as a technique or what but it works for me!

free motion quilter all the way

Oh, janRN, me too, me too, that's how I do simple designs as well.

I've done a little FMQ, however my main suite is Pantographs currently. The stippling I have done was around frames or appliqued objects. That was fairly easy! I've decided to work on mastering a variety of techniques! I'm very comfortable and adapted to outlining and using a ruler also! I'll try (almost) anything at least once!

I have tried machine quilting in the ditch on my Janome but I always seem to get it puckery and I can't figure out why. I tried making the stitch longer but it was too loose. I ended p ripping it all out and doing my hand quilting thing on a standing hoop frame. What am I doing wrong????

I'm like you. Have just started machine quilting and the free motion makes me so tense it's not enjoyable. But people keep saying practice, practice, practice. So, I do most of my design quilting by hand. Like you, I refuse to send out a quilt for someone else to do because I like to know that the quilt was made entirely by me. And I really prefer hand quilting. It takes longer, but it is somehow much more satisfying when it's done. But, I do understand the advantages of the machine. More quilts get finished that way.

How true! I just like the way hand quilting shows up on a quilt but I do want to get the work done faster but machine quilting is becoming more frustrating than ever. I am OK on small pieces, but anything bigger than a lap quilt is a challenge. I have tried everything bt the stitches still pucker on me.