Your practice piece looks great! I agree with LAF2019, if you could "join" the petals by making the a bit bigger or maybe adding in another petal to close up the gap between each one, you could then sew around the whole flower (except for the center) in one continuous line without having to start & stop at each petal.
I love free motion quilting but I don't have the patience to practice, practice, practice. I do know the more you practice, the better you get & you are doing it the right way with your practice pieces. Give yourself a big pat on the back....things are looking great for you!