Okay, you folks wanted me back, so here I am. I have covered these issues before, but always good to repeat. As this forum is so busy, many of our tips fall to the back pages and never looked at again. :lol:
Those of you having trouble with large stitches on back that look like they can be pulled out need to realize, they can. This is caused often by moving too quickly in a part you are feeling most comfortable doing. For example, if you are making an arch movement, you tend to go faster. This causes the bobbin not to be able to complete it's cycle before begining next stitch. The bobbin thread will look like it just laying on the back and the top thread will barely cradle it, creating loops. It takes a concious effort to keep moving at a consistant speed.
At the quilt shop, we use a magna doodle to practice designs before actually attempting them with the machine. If I want to do an all over free motion design, let's say of a flower and vine, I will start with the flower petals, a circle in center, then find my way out in some sort of flowing manner. to begin the next flower. By practicing on the magna doodle, I can actually see myself deciding the direction of least resistance and how to get myself from one point to another. Once the screen is full, it is erased and started again. This gives me a memory to take to the machine. I have already backed myself into a corner and gotten out, without having to make these decisions and interfere with my concentration at the machine.
I hope this has helped. I am sure you can find a magna doodle at a garage sale like we did. Another tip, at top of the forum page, you will see SEARCH. Click on that and enter machine quilting or anything else you may want to find. There have been many great tips posted before and are still available. Take advantage of all the experience of the forum members. I have learned alot from these sharing quilters. :lol: