Free-Motion, Finally!

I've been wanting to learn to free-motion since almost the beginning of my quilting journey. In fact, it was the look of free-motion quilting that really got me interested in machine quilting, instead of just piecing. My favorite design that I saw at Quilt Fest was pebbles, which I know isn't even all that hard to do. But, I'm coming from completely zero experience.

I attempted to free-motion once awhile ago, and made a big mess of things. My stitches from the front looked okay, but then there was a thread jam. I looked at the back and almost fainted. The back was the biggest mess ever, a giant bird's nest. I now know, that that happens whenever I forget to lower the presser foot! I always remember to lower the presser foot for regular sewing, it's kind of like getting into a car and putting the seatbelt on, but since the motions for free-motion are a little different, and the presser foot is hovering, not stamped down, sometimes it's really easy to forget to lower it.

Once I finally figured that out, I did some practice today:

I noticed several things about my samples:

1) I can't see very well sometimes where I'm going, so I really need an open-toe foot.
2) My stitches are fairly consistent in size for the most part. They get smaller along curves, but I'm okay with that.
3) Free-form is pretty darn hard for me, as I'm simultaneously designing in my head and quilting. I see how markings can help, but I don't want to mark because I'm lazy, and also because I need to learn to do this without marking, I don't want to rely on it.
4) When I want to go straight, I tend to make little wobbles. But when I intend to make curves, sometimes it comes out straight.
5) Sharp corners are hard for me, I end up making them look kind of round.

Overall, I'm pleased with my first attempt, most importantly I like the look and consistency of the individual stitches, if not the overall appearance. I just have to practice coordinating what's going on in my brain with my hands. Oh, and get an open-toe foot.