My neighbor and I call these 'scrapples'. Using a straight stitch plate on your sewing bed, with a straight stitch only, prevents the fabric from being 'sucked' down in.
I keep a good amount of 4 x 10 strips of fabric on hand. I place 2 together and use these to test my stitches before sewing anything. I have a small basket near my machine that I throw them into and pull one out when I start sewing. The thickness of the fabrics doesn't pull into the plate and I never forget about cutting them off as they usually don't match the fabrics I am using. When I am checking stitches for quilting, I make a fabric and batting sandwich and test on that. If needed, that piece is used to start an outside seam as it is generally the same thickness as the quilts.