Use the scrap of fabric at the beginning of the chain. Place the needle in the middle of that fabric and sew to the edge. Have your piece ready to be picked up within the next couple of stitches. This way the feed dogs are still feeding the scrap all the way to the back while picking up the new fabric to start. I too was frustrated by this on my machine. I didn't have a single hole plate, just a zig-zag hole. It does eat up the fabric. When you're done with that chain, snip the scrap off and use it to start the next one. You can use it until it is completely full of threads. It's good to have a couple of these handy because they can seem to get away from you.