wishiwerequilting

I have been free motion quilting on a domestic machine (first bernina now viking) for many years. I was taught by Debra Wagner, whose name does not pop up that regularly now, but she does write and she was a very good teacher. (A master quilter, she won many first place ribbons in large shows early on).
Aside from practicing stippling and other shapes, she had us start by quilting our names in free motion. You are very familiar with signing your name, so the memory is in your hands. Just take that to the machine. Try writing it on a fabric sandwich first, then go on to trying it without writing it and going straight to stitching.
Practicing on "cheater cloth" such as pre-printed panels, pillow panels, etc, which are sandwiched with batting is a great practice tool. if they come out well, bind them off and donate to charity.
Another favorite tool of mine is the skillbuilder panels by Renae Allen. There is a book which goes with the panels with tips and instruction.
http://www.quiltersparadiseonline.co...duct=MachineQS
Finally, if you feel you have trouble, review all the links in this post carefully and take notes. Every tip put to good use makes life much easier.
Back in October I posted a tutorial on our blog for basting/sandwiching a quilt with 505 spray. That technique can take the worry out of "what's happening on the back of the quilt" when machine quilting.
http://quiltersparadisecafe.blogspot...max-results=10
Using gloves, the correct needle and thread in your machine, and the supreme slider on the machine bed are all wonderful aids for the machine quilter, so try to use them if you can.