I don't piece by hand so I'm not sure how it SHOULD look, but it seems like you may not have pressed the seams before quilting. Perhaps I'm wrong and the photos just don't show it. But when I machine piece, I press, press, press. I know some folks will tell you finger pressing is good enough, but I've found that I need to press with an iron . This will help your top lay flat. Continue on with everyone else's advise to watch YouTube videos on pinning and/or basting before you start to quilt. If you don't have access to a class, a videos are a good substitute. Nothing beats actually watching someone demonstrate a technique. Your color selection is very cute, BTW.