Help! My first attempt at FMQ!
 

My practice pieces looked fine on both sides. I'm afraid of messing with tension. What do I do?

Check the thread path.

re-thread your machine, it looks like you forgot to put your presser foot down before you started, this happens to me alot when I have my FMQ foot on, since it hovers above my fabric , sometimes I forget to make sure I have actually lowered it !

I agree with SlightlyOffQuilter…lower your dogs.
Practice. FMQ will be fun!

If it turns out that your machine was threaded correctly and you're still getting the loops, don't be afraid of adjusting your tension. If that's the back side of the quilt in the photo, either your bobbin tension is too tight or your top tension is too loose. If that's the front, either your top tension is too tight or your bobbin tension is too loose. Change one thing at a time, keeping a notepad handy to record each incremental adjustment until you get even tension on both top and bottom.

Good luck!

Presser foot was down- machine won't go until it's down. This is the back side. I am following the path of the edge of a Dresden plate on the front side.

bobbin in wrong way maybe, just a thought

Tighten your upper tension, maybe a lot. Just try it and sew on some little baby quilt bits.

If the loops are on the back side, you need to check your upper tension. Make sure the thread path is clear and the thread is not hanging up on anything.

Don't give up! When I have this problem I try to do normal straight stitching to see if it is a problem with the thread or tension. You should always have a test blanket which is just two pieces of fabric with batting to test out that everything is correct before you start your quilting on your item,