I don't think your FMQ looks that bad on the top. And as everyone always says, "it takes practice, practice, practice" just like everything else when first starting out. I just watched a youtube and the quilter mentioned that a common mistake is forgetting to put the presser foot down. His machine would not let him sew and also beeped if the presser foot wasn't down. Bet you wish you had one of them .... me too! His was very pricey though.