Jan: Thank you for starting this thread and contributing your hard earned knowledge. I am about four months into my adventures with FM. Hope to be as far along as you in a year. I lucked out in that my machine did very well in terms of tension etc., now the thread on the bottom doesn't have the stitch definition I would like. Will try some of your trouble shooting methods. The skill I have acquired so far is a better feel for the speed of the machine vs the speed of my hands. I hope it will all come with time. My word to anyone starting out, don't be afraid, just jump right in. My first FM quilt has a lot of flaws but gave me enough encouragement to keep on going.