Jingle

I think it looks great.

Stitchnripper

I also think it looks great. I'm working on my FMQ skills. While I am not great at it, right now it is my favorite thing to do relating to the quilt. I have watched Leah Day on her free website, leahday.com and she sometimes goes over stitching lines if she wants something to stand out. I am not that good that I can do that without coming off the line, so I have a lot of practice to do that. Sometimes empty space is very nice. It is all about your preference. Keep up the good work!!

bjchad

Looks great! If you want to fill in some of the background you could consider cross hatching or just back and forth lines. You can use the same weight thread or try finer thread.
The more you practice, the better you will get. You’ve got a great start.

citruscountyquilter

Not all stencils are designed for continuous line quilting without backtracking. Continuous line stencils often have arrows on them and a little dot or star as to where to start. These are illustrated on the little label near the top of the stencil. If you don't want to backtrack look for a stencil like this. Many stencils are designed for hand quilting where stops and starts are easier to handle with having the thread travel in the batting to reach the next starting point without breaking the thread. I'm always on the hunt for new stencils when visiting quilt stores as many stores do not carry them. When I find one that has a good supply it is like a bonanza for me!
Another way that I get a quilting pattern on fabric is to use a light box and trace a pattern on from a book. There are several good books out there with quilting patterns in them or you can find them on line and print them off. With this method you trace the pattern on the quilt top before you sandwich the batting and backing to it.

MarionsQuilts

Thanks all! I will keep practicing and slowly getting better!

Carol Ann

Great job!!!

mac

Oh, yes, you are doing a very good job. It looks wonderful. Like others have said, if your thread matched you would not see a lot of the back-tracks, they would just blend in. With practice you will be an expert in no time. It is amazing how some people just pick up machine quilting a lot easier than others. You are a natural.

One thing that I was taught when I took some classes was that if you want a lot of poufiness you leave that part of the quilt unquilted. If you want your quilting to be less poufy, then you need to balance your quilting by sewing down the poufy areas with as much quilting you did in other areas. For instance, in the middle section, outside of the feathered wreath where it is a little poufy, you could stipple or cross-hatch that area. This would balance the amount of sewing (quilting lines) and it would make that part of the quilting recede into the background. And, of course, the opposite is true. If you want something to stand out more, you quilt less. Please note, I am only using this as an example of how a different look could be obtained and not in any way saying how you quilted it was wrong. I think you did beautiful job.

quiltingshorttimer

looks great! with most stencils there is likely to be a little backtracking, just take it slow and it works. I love to quilt, so being me I'd probably fill in a little of the space in the center in order to highlight the exact center. Love those butterflies!

sewbizgirl

That looks amazing for a first try!

You can look for free motion quilting videos by Angela Walters and Leah Day on YouTube. You will learn a lot from either of them.

Grammahunt

Looking good. Not everyone can do this type of quilting. It takes concentration and practice. You are on your way to wonderful things.