I just finished my second lap quilt doing FMQ - stippling. Feed dogs up and no slider. Tension set at about 2 on my Singer 301A. Also used Machingers gloves and set up my machine to have a large flat surface around the machine since it is not dropped down level with the table.
Actually, the biggest issue I had was staying consistent with moving the fabric around slowly enough while maintaining the same foot pedal speed. After a while my foot pedal got hot so I had to stop for a whilte to let it cool down. This quilt is a gift to my GD but I still consider it practicing...as she will not see or care about my 'mistakes.' I gave myself permission not to make 'perfect' stitches. Also, if I stitched myself into a corner...oh well....just backtracked out of it and moved on to the next area keeping my eyes only on about the five or six square inches around the needle so I could stay focused on the stitching. I didn't manage the stitches perfectly...not evenly...and some look downright bad...but after the quilt is bound and washed...you really don't notice the 'mistakes.' I loved the stippling and gave myself plenty of time and breaks in between. It took about 3 hours to stipple the whole quilt...and I was feeling more confident at the end then at the beginning. Keep making small quilts and practicing until feeling confident to do somthing more intricate. This is good for now.