I loaded the selvage edge on the leaders and just keep the quilt sandwich loose. You really shouldn't ave any problems. If you have any tension issues you won't see them because the thread sinks in to the fabric. I too would use a loose design. I think once you get it done you'll realize that it's something you're going to want to use more often. In my opinion it's much easier to longarm minkee than quilt it on a dsm. Another piece of advice is not to quilt off the edge of the quilt top as its much easier to use the backing for binding by folding it over. I even pieced an all minkee quilt on my longarm using 1/2 inch seams.