I got the 36" wide muslin at Joann's and used cotton batting scraps. Unless you practice on the same sandwich as your quilt, ypu'll still probably have to adjust tension but no big deal. You should be able to do all your tension adjustment with the top knob and won't have to mess with the bobbin tension which can bring on another set of problems. Just make sure the bobbin tension isn't too tight or too loose. I was told to tape 4 quarters and 2 dimes to the thread coming out of the bobbin and they should slowly drop down as you hold the bobbin case.If you don' have a bobbin case, I have no idea how to adjust it. But don't give up - it's so much fun and satisfying to be able to say "I did it all!" Good luck. Marlene