Julie -
If you haven't tried it, you should give a Tilt'able a try. They are a bit pricey, but they make a HUGE difference in the amount of time you can sew. They reduce the tension of trying to watch the machine bed while you're sewing. My wife has one, and I have a home-made imitation one that we purchased at a LQS. Here is one on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Ergonomic-Adva.../dp/B001839ZKO
Another thing that might help is a binding foot or bi-level foot. We bought one for our Pfaff machines and it does help. If one is available for your machine you should consider it. We don't even know what all the little markings are for on ours, but what little we do know is a big help.
Darren