you need to make your practice piece like your quilt.....you know top , middle and bottom....then make sure you bring your bottom thread to the top....and the hard part is to move fast enough to stay consistant with your thread stitching....if you don't move fast enough it will just stich in one spot and cause ya trouble.....so good luck You may need to sdjust your tension too if I remember right...been a long time since I used the home machine for this.....