Leah Day taught me a really important fact. No matter what speed I went at with my feed dogs down....I ended up with a total mess. But, when I left my feed dogs up, with the width and length set at zero; I do not have any of those problems. My free motion quilting is still in the very beginning stages, but I have fun and learn something new every time I practice.
This goes in a different direction, but it may help others who have trouble with finding the correct balance with FMQ. Try doing Free Motion Machine Embroidery. You use both a zig zag stitch or a straight stitch. It has really helped me to gain confidence and the willingness to try the some of the numerous quilting designs available.