I realised that I was reading this thread sitting completely off kilter, and it's because of a cat sitting right in front of me staring at me. LOL! The adaptations we make for our critters. Yesterday stormi not only stopped me working, but discovered the thread when I tried to sew a little more when she let me stitch for another 30 seconds. Pawing at it and snapping at it with her teeth. This after putting her on my lap (one of her favorite places) twice and having her get up anyway and move back onto the fabric. I now get to un-thread the machine and hide the thread whenever I stop. What a brat.
I guess I now have another reason to like one of the more modern machines in the house - the hidden thread path.
Grace, that's a 301A I'm trying to stitch on. One of the best for learning FMQ on. I don't have a 401A here anymore, I do have 411Gs, virtually the same thing. Many people say the 401 and kin don't FMQ well. I can do it, but the 301A is easier. Why fight it, especially when you're learning?