Have a look at the Arduino project at: http://arduino.cc/
I use one, though i've never implemented a stepper motor, and everything works perfectly.
It's programmed in a C-like way but you can do all the AVR (Atmel uC) stuff as well.
There is a stepper motor example here: http://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/StepperUnipolar
I suppose the Arduino (Decimilla) is usefull for prototyping or hobby stuff (like me). PICs will be more cost effective if you're making loads.
You've probably finished already, but, future projects maybe...
