I want to thank every last one of your for your responses and help. I think I am on the right track. I have followed everyone's suggestions - a lot of them were things I was already doing/trying but there is such a combination of different things that I'm not sure what I changed that did the trick - like someone said "trial and error". First of all I think that the only thing I was doing differently to start with (compared to when I was quilting halfway decent) was a different bobbin - and I think I have a few bobbins I need to get rid of - including the one that was in my machine. Changing it did make quite a difference.
Then by one suggestion, I remembered I do have a "blue dot" bobbin case and bobbin washers that I haven't used before. Also the Slider (I knew I had one but couldn't find it - which happens often when you go back and forth North and South twice a year). I took the time to really do a thorough search and did find it.
I took some of the suggestions to try leaving the feed dogs up and stitch length to zero, slowed the machine down a bit. I do use Start/Stop button all the time.
Whatever, I seem to have gotten a rhythm that seems to be working and wrote a note on every setting I am using so that I can go back to it in the future. Now I need to - like EVERYONE says - practice, practice, practice. I took one of the many orphan blocks I had and sandwiched it and played with it. I'm enclosing a picture of the stippling/meandering (forget the difference between the two - I think it is acceptable.
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