The 400 series is known to not be great at FMQing. It's the raised throat plate along with the drop in bobbin. The design of the machine is not great for FMquilting. It's the nature of the beast. It's a great, general sewing machine, good for piecing and straight line quilting with a walking foot. Many quilters prefer vintage machines with vertical bobbin assemblies like the 301, 221, 15 etc. for free motion quilting. If you're learning to FMQ, it's not the right machine for you, IMHO. You will soon become bald from ripping your hair out;>