I learned the same last week...I was having so many problems with the thread breaking when I was FMQ'ing. I was at the dealer and mentioned it to him that my machine doesn't like my thread. He said its not the thread and He gave me a pack of number 14 quilt needles since I was using heavy backing...normally your could use size 11. When I started FMQ'ng...I was amazed...no more breaking!!!! The right tools make all the difference.