I take my Happy pill wait 30 minutes and away I go When I make a mistake I just have to laugh...I think someone is telling me to take a break and I do...I chat with you all.....
On the bird nesting....use a little strip of scrap fabric folded....I have several by my machine and use them all the time....no more birds nest....hope that helps.....
on the needle try a bigger needle size...I use 90/14
on the thread don't make the mistake of using HAND Quilting thread...I did that when I first stared....my thread had a glaze on it ....and it kept breaking.....I use a 40wt thread....Thread comes in all kinds of weight....that can be some of the problem....use good COTTON thread...