I have machingers but they get in my way. I like to tie off the first threads as soon as I can so they are out of my way. That means taking the gloves off and and on. I just grab onto the fabric as if they were ears!
I FMQ with the feed dogs up and find the back looks better. I bought a bunch of different types of threads and doodled on scrap sandwiches. Then I wrote the details - type of thread, needle used, tension setting, etc. - so I can refer back to them in the future.