When starting out the best practice is to only do free motion on the borders. No bulk under the arm of the machine.
Simple stencils like hearts or leaves that are continuous line work the best.
The inside of the quilt just use the walking food for a grid pattern.
This has worked for me and now I am ready to do free motion on the whole quilt but I admit I bought a machine with a 10 inch throat.
What a difference it has made.