I'm trying the same. One difference is I have a Pfaff 2170 and just got the Brother 1500s. The Pfaff and the Brother both have vertical bobbins. That means it's easier to adjust bobbin tension. The Pfaff had no way to control foot pressure which drove me nuts. See what your Babylock says about FMQ. Some of the BL embroidery machines had an extra washer type thing they added when you embroidered. Might have been to keep the bobbin from rattling around at high speed. I've seen posts about washers for quilting on this forum. I'm thinking this was for drop in bobbins.
Make another post about Babylock and ask how they set up. Brother has the same machines, so either one might help.
I had to find a book on FMQ that broke it down. I was a graphic designer so I have to look at it in terms of digitizing. Piece by piece. I also don't like videos. I'd rather have a book. Easier to mark a place in a book or printed material. Like you, I can sew, I have no trouble with color, I like to mess around with techniques so taking a class is hard for me. I took one on potholders just to learn how you bind the things. All the basics were boring but the binding helped. I was trying to put binding on lefthanded by using righthanded methods. The one printout I would find is troubleshooting the problems. Like why your bobbin thread is appearing on the top, eyelashes, etc, so you can refer to it while you are practicing instead of a trying to watch a video at the same time - or relying on memory.
I also prefer to quilt as you go, so I am not dealing with huge chunks of fabric.
I have other shortcomings I might never overcome (I like having my nose right in what I'm doing) so I'll simply have to live with what I can do. I might always have to mark to keep stuff even. Like they said, practice. But first check with your dealer or other BL owners about setting up the machine. Like my Pfaff not liking thick seams at times, your BL just might not like something else. You wind up beating your head against the wall for something that you have no control over. It's just the way the machine works. You will get there.