Ricky Tims has an excellent dvd out on that. He doesn't roll his quilts up. He keeps them loose around the machine but he has a massive surface and that makes all the difference in the world.
The other thing is...go ahead and make a sandwich of fabric, batting and backing...put the quilting foot on etc....start on your sandwich...practice your name or just doodles etc....the trick is, listen to your motor, it needs to have a rythm and a certain humm...you will recognise it when it happens. ...it happems when you are keeping an even pressure on the foot. ....