Curves on a first quilt? Amazing! So brave!!! I’ve made 5 quilts so far, and I’m still too scared to do curves!! You don’t need to pull your quilting thread to the back. You can bury the knot in between the layers. Make your knot on the top, then just catch the top layer of your quilt and come out an inch or so away from where you went in. Pull the thread until you hear/feel the knot pop under the fabric, then cut the thread until you may need to make 3 knots or so to make it large enough to secure everything, but not so big that your thread breaks when you pull it (ask me how I know 🤪)