Never apologize for your equipment. My aunt used to say a poor workman always blames his tools, but everybody on this board should understand the difference it makes to have equipment you can use efficiently no matter what it is.
You will like quilting better maybe when you get what sounds like the stuck thread out of your machine.
Meanwhile, try hand-quilting. Maybe you will like it better.
Maybe you are trying to challenge yourself out of your comfort zone but either you've gone too far or the machine glitch has caused the problem.
A 40-mile drive can be a road trip (woowoo where else can you go on the way there or back?) and a $70 charge to clean out the machine is nothing compared to fabric cost.
Chin up! Cheer up, there is a bright side! For one thing you are making a bowtie quilt which is not easy!