I'm new at FMQ, also. Practicing 30 min. to 1 hr a day for a month before I did my 1st charity quilt. Agree with others. 12" to 15" sandwich with thin batting, top & bottom threads different colors so could tell which needed fixing. Tension all the way to 9. Fast machine, slow hands. Gloves are too hot for me, halo cost too much. Get this - I use the Mr. Clean sponge's. They cling to the fabric and I grip less tightly therefore my hands are more comfortable. I stop and take a break if I get tense. I found I could add a clean fabric to the top of the sandwich, change bobbin color and practice again without using more batting & as much fabric. I added fabric on top and sometimes on bottom till it was too thick for machine to FMQ. Practice daily till it looks good, not perfect. Keep it fun!