i am currently quilting (free motion) a lap size and I have to say - the gloves are my #1 MUST HAVE when quilting. I've FMQed all but one of my quilts (i've made probably 15) and I will not do it without my gloves.
The one I am working on now has a lot of stops and starts so I need to take the gloves off to snip threads etc and a few times I have forgotten to put them back on. 10 seconds into it, I'm wondering why my stitches are so uneven, why the quilt is not moving smoothly, etc. And I figure out that it is because my hands keep slipping on the fabric and I don't have my gloves on!
I use a darning foot with the clear toe but a small hole, not the big open toe. The reason I do that is to keep the fabric smoothed out as much as possible around the needle. I've found that the larger the opening, the more the fabric tends to "bubble" a little around the needle. Since I have switched to a darning foot with a small opening, I haven't had any puckering while quilting.
Another tip would be to practice a bit before you start on your quilt, even if you have taken only a 3 hour break from it. Also good for checking your thread length and tension. And, if you are using a decorative stitch, that is a good way to check that you actually have the right one chosen (yes, I have learned this from experience!)! I try to equate it to running or exercizing. I would not jump right into full speed workouts without a little bit of a warm up first! When you are warming up, make a small quilt sandwich and practice writing your name or drawing a tree or the actual design you are quilting - gets the shoulders warmed up and the kinks out before you tackle your quilt!
Happy sewing!