Originally Posted by Lisa_wanna_b_quilter
I have not tried gloves of any kind yet. That's next on the practice list.
I have the springy foot. It is much better than no foot, but does seem a bit tight at some intesections. I need to play around to see if there is an adjustment.
I use the darning plate cover that come with my machine. It is a bit raised so the foot fits tighter. It never occured to me to not cover the dogs. I thought dropping or covering was required for FMQ.
I also loosen the amount of pressure put on the foot when you lower the foot to start sewing. I turn the knob until I get it all the way up to the top, no pressure to speak of. It is directly above the foot, at the top of the machine. I set my stitch length to 0, lower the feed dogs, and turn my upper tension to 1, that makes the stitches on the back look good and makes the upper thread go down a little more. All stitching, and movement is on you. I haven't perfected it yet but, when quilt is put on a bed it looks very good. Everyone is pleased with it, so I just keep doing it.
Your first attempt looks great to me. As soon as I finish sewing on the binding, I wash and dry the quilt and that helps it look better also. Just keep doing it and you will be more pleased with your work.