Miriam;
In June, I finished up a quilt for my mom. Quilted hearts & leaves on a vine in the big border. I did it all freehand except one heart that didn't look right with all the other freehand hearts. Used my Singer 15. For me, I found if I started out going to the left side that was simplest for me. Don't ask why as it made no sense to me but the hearts and leaves just turned out better. My siblings and cousins loved the wonkiness of the hearts (not perfect in any way) on the border. So go ahead take the plunge and just do the hearts free hand.