Thanks Rodney and Kenmoregal2. :)

It looks like you have a good start at free motion.

You can fix this to be less noticeable if you see it right away. Stop stitching, lift your presser foot and needle up. Move the quilt back to slightly before the bad piece. Drop the presser foot, take some tiny stitches then continue with your stitching. When you've finished go back to that spot and unpick the bad piece. The tiny stitches you took will lock the first part of your stitching.

I think you're doing great! It looks a lot better than my first "real" FMQ'd quilt, that's for sure!

Practice definitely makes perfect though. And as you've discovered, a full size quilt is a whole 'nother story compared to practice squares!

I try to start/stop in the straightest area possible. I do a lot of loops and curves too, so I just try to stop on a gradual curve, those are easier for me to pick back up again properly, compared to a tighter curve. I'm slowly improving but still not yet to where I'd like to be! And I get rusty fast. But it's fun.

I have some of the same fabrics as you have in that quilt. :) You have excellent taste! LOL

Christy,
Your quilting looks good to me, it just takes lots of practice. It also helps if when the quilt is puddled in your lap, make sure its not pulling on the needle. I've been FMQ since about 1994 and its taken me years to get to where I can do a decent stipple and a larger meander.
Sharon in Texas

We all have our firsts when FMQ. After you done 5 to 10 go back and see how much you have improved. Most of all have FUN!

Sheesh! I never got around to updating this but I will now. After I finished my quilt I joined the local quilter's guild. I didn't feel I was really a quilter until I had at least made a quilt lol!

The quilter's guild had a local show and we were all encouraged to enter what we had made. We could opt to be judged or not and I went ahead and decided to let the judges do their worst. After all, I know I could improve and hearing the judges comments is supposed to be a good way to learn.

I was unable to attend the first day because my daughter was receiving her Bachelors degree, but we came the next day to see all the quilts. I was shocked to see my quilt had gotten a second place ribbon in my category and was given the Judges Choice award! It was an amazing weekend!

Some of those blips that occur do sort of disappear after a few washings (read that here so it must be true!). The lower left blip in the pic is just ONE stitch out of place. Its so easy for you to notice bc you saw it happen and flinched - but consider that it is one stitch of thousands and when ppl look at a quilt, they are focusing on it as a whole..taking in the fabrics, colors and design. its no good to strive for perfection with FM on a domestic machine, especially. There will always be goofs and if you're already a perfectionist, you will see it first no matter how small. In time you forget and see the quilt the same as anyone else would.

Well! you see... Congratulations. It confirms that you did an excellent work. and I agree the quilt is very pretty. Choice of colors, design, quilting. *applause*

Thank you. :)