Quilting makes a big difference. Not only does it hold the sandwich together, it adds a three dimensional aspect to the quilt. I know a lot of people get stumped, what to quilt??ill it ruin my quilt? Quilting never ruins a quilt, sure it may not be what you envisioned, but every creation has the right to take on a life of it’s own.
You can clearly see here how the quilting just makes the pinwheel pop.I just dive in, decisions happen as I quilt. The border is inspired by the original pattern. Each animal circle has it’s own quilting pattern. Well, I think I used 8 different patterns and scattered them around. The center pinwheels are all alike, took my time to perfect the look, but no need to go back and make each one perfect, they are a work in progress.
This is the border quilting that was inspired by the original pattern, and yes I used a ruler to get the lines straight. I’m not sure how much ruler work I want to get into, I really love the freedom of free motion
I decided to echo the circles in the pink background. LOVE the result! Also I left the grey unquilted, but because of the pink circle it just reinforces the circle like shape that the grey fabric creates. I love this about quilting, just free hand quilting and standing back to see the resulting images that pop out. 
The only way to get better is to practice. The only way to get better on a large quilt, is to practice on a large quilt. The pull and drag will have their effect, but if you only practice on small pieces, you will never figure out how to deal with the drag. Also, I am getting so much better at these feathers! They are addictive, I tried to use feather on all my dark circles so maybe they’d stand out a little.
A thing of beauty.
And now, to finish the quilt!
Your work is so beautiful and natural.