A woman from my quilt guild gave a great tip for fmq - make small practice sandwiches with the leftovers from your project. Set your stitch length and tension until you get the stitch you want. Practice your stitching on the sandwich to see the stitching. Then with a fabric marker - write the tension and stitch length on the sandwich. If you are continuously changing your dials it will be easy to duplicate the stitch. I always think I can remember but it is not always the case. When I have practiced to death my sandwiches I usually put another piece of fabric on top until I have my stitch perfected. Saves fabric and batting!