I teach fmq on domestic while in Fla. in winter. My students bring their machines, so l notice the different feet and machine combos. Most do way better with a hopping foot...but when it comes to ruler work, they need to learn to use gliders. There's often 1 or 2 machines that have issues ( including my own Janome 6500. Oddly enough, my 8900 Horizon does well!) The main reason, l believe, is the height adjustment.Set it too high and it skips, too low and it " grabs" the sandwich. Often , l find a nice height, only to get hung up on seam intersections. I suggest you stick with a hopper, as it helps with the rhythm of the machine while stitching. By the time you're ready for ruler work on your new machine, you will have become more familiar and comfortable with it, thus giving you confidence. You likely already know how important managing the quilt is while doing fmq, as you've been at it a while...but it wouldn't hurt to set your ironingboard or low table to your left to keep the quilt from dragging up from your lap.