It took me a long time and a lot of picked out stitches, but I rock the needle successfully now. What amazes me is everytime I try to make only one stitch, it isn't even with the rest of them.
I make my own motifs too. Some stencils, not many as I only have two. I make templates for a lot and mark with a Bohn pencil similar to the resin one Fons and Porter have available. It takes me about 5-6 months to quit a queen size.
I hope to try a whole cloth next or get into feathers, plumes or fruit quilted in. I love handquilting and find it very relaxing. I learned at a quilting bee right out of any historical book you can read. It still exists and I miss those wonderful ladies so much after I moved away.
I use a thimble with the edge on it to catch the back of the needle and push it through. I use a broken piece of balloon to pull the needle the rest of the way if it gets stuck.