You don't have to cover the feed dogs - if you set the stitch length to 0, it will keep the machine from fighting you so much.
I have used a darning foot/embroidery foot, but surprisingly enough, I've also used a button sewing foot, which doesn't hop or move.
Unwind the presser on the presser bar until it's almost non-existent and the quilt will move in when the feed dogs lower and stop moving when they come back up again.
I have trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time, so treadling and free-motion will take some getting used to, so the darning foot will remove at least one obstacle from your practice. :)
I have a couple of super-high-shank Kenmores for which no hopping foot is available and I use the monogrammer/button sewing foot for those machines, too. If the area under the arm were as big as with the Singer 15 or 27, those Kenmores would be my favorite quilting machines. :)