Free motion..... You love it or hate it. Why do you think there are so many longarmers in business?! A few things that might help. Thread shreds because it's not moving through the needle properly. It's either too big or too small. So start with a basic quilt set up. Needle: 90/14 universal Thread: cotton 50 weight Batting: low loft!!!! Quilt top: good fabric Foot: name brand made for your machine. Don't buy third party feet. If you have a Janome buy a foot made by Janome. Use good materials. Don't think because you're a beginner you shop in the dollar bin. Bad material make bad product. And finally, and this is the hardest one to hear, FMQ is one of the most stressful things you can do to your machine. They don't all handle it well. I live to FMQ but it's one of those things that you material and your machine make all the difference. Good luck and if you love it don't give up