You can cross your stitches when FMQ. Only if you are meandering should you not cross. But there are no quilt police and no hard and fast rules. Of course, you have to cross if you are doing loops or feathers. Just practice, practice, practice. I still have trouble keeping even speed on fabric, I still jerk a lot. One thing that helps is the teflon coated, oh can't think of what the sheet is called, slider, I guess. I love mine.