ktbb

It's possible that the thread is still in the tension discs but has jumped out of another part of the threading process. Not sure how old your machine is or if this information will in any way address your problem - but about two years ago Viking was having problems with thread jumping out of the uptake lever on some of their machines - the arm that goes up and down on top of the machine (after the thread passes thru the tension discs). the fix was to put on an adapter which held the thread in the correct place - if this was never done on your machine, you might check to see if it should have been done and if that could be part of your problem. If this is the problem, and if you are the original owner of the machine, the upgrade/fix should be free to you....but you'll have to work that out with the dealer. I'm sorry I can't remember which model this was done for.

also - one of the reasons for hopping is that the foot will hold the fabric down while the needle is coming up out of it, ensuring that the stitch is completed properly. It's especially important when quilting a sandwich with a fluffy batting which springs up when no pressure is on it. A floating foot (which I've never used) should be close enough to do this same thing, but far enough above the fabric to allow free movement of the sandwich.