Sounds like tension issues. Did you remember to put the presser foot down? The tension disks do not engage unless the foot is down. I had an FMQ instructor say that was one of the most common problems when quilting on a domestic machine. Because you often decrease the foot pressure, it may be difficult to notice you have forgotten to put the foot down. This sounds like the problem with that first seam that was just laying there.
As far as the funny noise then the bird's nest, I would bet that your thread jumped out of the takeup lever. next time this happens stop and examine your setup without changing anything. Look at the takeup lever and make sure that the thread is still in place. If it jumped & you are using a walking foot you may have to up the tension a little bit. If you are FMQ, slow down a bit.