thanks mpeters and yes the 505 is not the problem - i'm the problem!
i was trying to do this by myself and i did not get it taut and i didn't have the walking foot on my machine at first. i intended on doing diamond shapes of stitching in each section - not FMQ, but it just has turned out a mess. so today i'm definitely going to pick out what i've already done, un-stick it and will probably have to soak it in soapy water then rinse water to get all the 505 out of it, then start all over. i'm much better at making the quilt top than i am at trying to quilt one but i can't afford to take all my quilts to a long arm quilter either but i may end up taking this one after all, the lady here is excellent at doing it. she's done a couple for me before. i'm a newbie to quilting anyhow, only been doing it for 2 years, wish i had started 50 years ago. and go ahead, surprise your friends and make something with batiks.