mamab, welcome to QB. Your quilt is beautiful. I love the colors and the pattern too. This is your first quilt? Seriously? Hope your boo-boo wasn't too bad. Those cuts are real ouchers. I had someone to tell me to keep my pinky on the fabric/table off the left side of the ruler (other side of where you are cutting). This helps to keep the ruler from slipping and keeps my fingers away from the cutting edge.
We look forward to seeing more of your talent expressed in quilts.