You can buy a plastic swirls stencil and mark up the quilt top. Then you can have the quilting you want AND get the feel of free motion while maneuvering the sandwiched up quilt through your machine. I did this when learning to do free motion feathers. Now, I don't need the stencil and just go with it.
Missouri Star Quilt Company does a swirls and curls stencil.
HettyB