I found it really helped me to doodle FMQ designs before trying them on the machine. My husband cut white board purchased at Menards to a convenient size I can hold in my lap while watching television or holding on the phone. I use an erasable marker and just practice spirals, leaves, meandering, etc. Eventually, my hand almost automatically does the design. It has also helped a great deal in mapping out paths so I don't get stuck in a corner. Doodling allows me to concentrate on just one thing - the "drawing" without worrying about speed, moving the quilt, etc. Once I feel fairly comfortable with the white board/paper doodles, I move on to practicing the sewing on scrap quilt sandwiches until I've "perfected" them.