Yes your backing fab must be straight before you attach to leaders, or when taken off the machine it may not lay straight.....if you can get to the show in Springfield Illinois..if you can afford take at least one hands on class......get a magna doodle, kids toy, for practicing. Or lots of scribble paper and just doodle away....get as many how to long arm books as possible..see if library can get some thru inter library exchange...or try used book stores...or just sales on web.....don't be afraid...you have invested lots of $$$$$ in this and it is only a machine, you are the boss! If you keep it lint free, find your comfortable speed, you will just dance! Don't try to do difficult intense quilting motifs right off the bat....let your hand, mind, eye coordination get used to this new thing and your skill will expand. As fat as pantos..a great way to quickly do e2e designs???just pick a few that blend well into each other so doesn't look like RR tracks...and if you don't follow a line perfectly no one will ever know !