Thanks for all the advice and welcomes! Good to know I'm not the only one!

Leaders and enders should solve that problem.

Welcome to the board from Arizona. I use the leaders and enders.

Welcome from Northern California. BrendaK

My Bernina has a thread cutter to cut the bobbin thread at just the right length to start sewing. It works! BUT - - I am a thread bringer upper from way back, so I usually do that.

Also the tip about leaders and enders is good. They work every time.

I used to do the pull up bottom thread but started using doing leaders & enders after doing more serger work. Now it is a habit.

Welcome! You'll meet lots of lovely people here. We love to help newbies. :)
Bringing up the bobbin thread isn't required with my Viking Sapphire 875 either, but I prefer to bring it up. I learned to sew on old machines and its needed, I mostly sew with antique machines. I use a scrap of fabric at the beginning and end of every seam, unless I'm chain piecing.

I, too, use leaders & enders. The only different is, I use the triangles I have cut off of blocks. they range from all different sizes. Once I get a stack of them sewn, I will then use them again as leaders & enders to make different block patterns. That way, I waste very little for scraps or thread & end up with bonus blocks to use in another project. I also do this with different size square blocks to make 9P & 4P blocks. I use all size extra blocks for this.

Halo, that's such a great idea. I watched a youtube video about that yesterday (was that you?!). Are the seams reliable on the leaders and enders you use for new blocks? I thought the purpose of the leaders and enders was to put the bad part of your seam on a scrap?

I usually bring my bobbin thread up and pull the threads out a bit and hold them taut. I've used leaders, but never the enders. Can someone explain the use of the enders? I call my leaders, each one a "mouse."
Welcome to the Board. You'll find a wealth of help and friendliness here.
Blessings from the beautiful mid section of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.