Is the bed of your sewing machine flush with the table you are sewing on? I also found it very difficult to do any kind of machine quilting, sithd or fm, until I got a sewing table/cabinet that had the recessed area for my machine. I don't think I'm using the right words to describe this, but hopefully you get the picture.
Don't give up completely. It takes many attempts and lots of practice to find the set up that will work for you. When you have time, browse You-tube for ideas. There are some very creative people who have come up with some inexpensive ways to set up their machines. Good luck and hang in there!