Paula, your quilt is fabulous!
When I first looked at the middle photo of it without the border, it almost looked like an optical illusion, like I was looking into a tunnel. WOW, it went to together beautifully for just picking up each HST one at a time. You are one free creative spirit!
Louise, your quilts are gorgeous and you are an inspiration to all of us!
And, Margo, you are the ultimate "Angel of Quilting Resources"! Your quilt is beautiful and I like what you did with the pinwheel border!
I, too, am struggling with improving my machine quilting skills and I agree with everything that has been previously stated about machine table height, width, length, etc. However, Margo's telling us about making time to practice machine quilting is very important and right on. The more we practice, the more we can kick our fear about our less-than-perfect-stitches out the door! My favorite part of making quilts is the designing and piecing, but I'm learning to enjoy the quilting part because it's the frosting on the cake, so to speak. Perseverance will pay off with a beautiful, finished quilt!