about your statement about a 'master quilter' looking to see what you are doing wrong....have you tried getting help from the dealer who services your machine? they often offer 'free' owners classes that can really help---if you purchased your machine used- or privately you could contact customer service for the machine (I have a handiquilter- their customer service in Utah (im in Michigan) is wonderful and have helped me long-distance over the phone many times over the years- sometimes I email them pictures of something happening- then call & they talk me through fixing the issue- I would imagine customer/tech support for any of the long-arm companies would be able to do this for you if you do not have a local dealer/service center.