Try to write your name in cursive. You have the muscle memory in your brain to form the letters so you won't have to think what direction to go. I took a class at a quilt shop and this is what the teacher had us start with. First we wrote our name on paper. Next we placed our hands on the paper and moved the paper in the direction the letters are formed as if we were writing. Last we wrote our name on the fabric using the needle as the pen and moving the fabric in the direction the letters are formed when writing on paper.