1)Draw with your index finger to imprint the pattern on your brain. 2)Give yourself permission to sew in all directions. Once I did this, things improved. Those of us coming from an apparel background have many years of sewing forward. 3)Increase the size of your practice sandwiches. When you use something small, there is too often nothing to hold on to near the edge and the size is limiting. I only quilt a small area at a time, but I use a larger area to guide the quilt. I am down to a border with not much extra now and it's difficult to keep my vines where I want them.
My FMQ isn't perfect, but it will hold the quilt together and it will improve. Soon I will asking for help with feathers which scare me.