Yeah, I was afraid that would be the answer, ignorance is not always bliss. I think it's better to be washable too. I think I'd better check into my LQS to see what classes I can take. I think I've just been lucky in the past!
I'm not even sure if the feed dogs need to be up or down for free motion quilting, never tried it, but there are alot of 'thread painting' ideas that I want to try.
Thanks for the compliment and encouragement!!