Your foot (hopper on mine) is not down! Hope I am not too late to help!

The text below is from a document that I think was on the Handiquilter web site, written by Dick Fuller. It's very helpful.

Top Thread Breaking
1. Try different thread or put thread in the refrigerator for several
hours.
2. Replace needle and ensure the scarf faces the throat of the
machine.
3. Check thread path. Re-thread the machine if necessary.
4. Use larger needle to reduce needle deflection.
5. Loosen fabric roller.
6. Adjust Needle-Bar so all of the Needle-Eye can be seen while
looking into the Hook Basket with the Bobbin Case removed.
7. Time: Turn machine forward with Hand Wheel and place the
POINT of the Sewing Hook in the middle of the scarf of the
Needle as it rises 3/32” (less than 1/8”) from the lowest position. The Hook should almost touch the Needle.
8. Polish Hook Point with fine (800) Emery Cloth.
9. Hopping Foot at the lowest point of it’s stroke should be the
thickness of one dime or three business cards.
10. Loosen top tension.
11. Tension Check Spring broken. It should be at 11 o’clock.
12. Turn thread cone/spool upside down.
13. Turn the Needle slightly to the right.

Loops on Under Side of Lining Fabric
1. Moving machine too fast for selected needle speed.
2. Tighten (to the right) top thread tension adjustment ¼ turn at
a time until corrected.
3. Clean under the Tension Spring on the Bobbin Case.
4. Bobbin thread not in tension spring delivery eye.
5. Put a sock on thread cone.
6. Check thread path on machine.
7. The stationary finger that holds the Hook Assembly and prevents it from turning should be ½ to 2/3 into the
depth of the notch.
8. Oil Bobbin Case.
9. Replace/repair Bobbin Backlash Spring.

Loose thread Tension on Top Fabric
1. Tighten Tension Adjustment (turn clockwise).
2. Loosen Bobbin tension.
3. Center the thread cone directly under the guide.

Machine Hard To Move
1. Raise Take Up Roller to clear the machine lower arm
by ½” to ¾” or the width of your finger.
2. Thread clogging wheel(s).
3. Center wheels on the track groove by adding or removing
washers.
4. Increase Hopping Foot height.

Skipped Stitches
1. Replace Needle, insert all the way up with the scarf
toward the throat of the machine.
2. Re-time (See #8 Top Thread Breaking).
3. Take-Up Roller too high.
4. Loosen Fabric Roller.
5. Polish Hook Point with fine (800) Emery Cloth.
6. Thread not on Check Spring Arm.
7. Check thread path on machine.
8. Hopping Foot too high.
9. Tension Check Spring at 11 o’clock with moderate resistance.
10. Correct gap between Needle and Hook.

Needle Breaking
1. Replace Needle and tighten Needle Set Screw.
2. Use larger needle.
3. Moving machine too fast for speed setting.
4. Re-time (See #8 Top Thread Breaking).

*Note on Timing: Adjust the Needle Bar height first. While in the lowest point of the stroke, look at the sewing hook, and the entire needle eye should be visible. None of the needle above the eye should be seen. Ensure the Needle Bar does not rotate from its original position before tightening.

A proper stitch has both the bottom and top threads meeting at the center of the layers. The top thread and take-up lever have much greater affect on tension adjustment than the bobbin tension. The take-up lever takes the slack out of the top thread as the needle comes up out of the fabric.

Thread can become wrapped around the encoder wheel, causing the stitch regulation mode to malfunction. Grasp the thread-end with tweezers and move the machine to pull and unravel the thread.

When I have eyelashes on the back of a quilt, after checking the bobbin tension and that the machine is threaded correctly, here's what I do on a practice sandwich:

1) Turn the top tension to it's lowest setting, start sewing, check the results - which I expect to be bad at that point.

2) Adjust the top tension to the next higher setting (1/2 turn on my HQ16), sew a bit, check results. If top tension is your problem, the eyelashes should be somewhat smaller.

3) Continue doing (2) until the tension is even/the eyelashes no longer happen while quilting.

This seems to work well for me.

Good luck.

Your pictures look exactly what is happening to me with my Janome. So frustrating to me. I hope you have gotten some good hints here to fix your problems. I have gotten many ideas to try with mine.

I don't know what the problem is because I have not been brave enough to quilt my quilts. Sad part is, I have no desire. I love to pick out the fabric, cut out the pieces and stitch it all together and then send it out to be quilted. I give you tons of credit for wanting to learn. Keep at it and soon you will be a pro!

Mine did that when I had a bit of thread stuck in the tension disks. I had to clean it out (which took some doing) before it worked right. I've had to do this a few times now. Probably I use too cheapy of a thread. :)

I have had that happen when I forgot to lower the presser foot. My machine lets me lessen the pressure when free motion quilting and sometimes I forget to lower the presser foot. There is a button to lessen pressure.

Try all of the above and get some of those great little teflon washers for the bobbin case. They are called "Magic Bobbin Washers and can be found in some of the notions catalogs ie Nancy's Notions, Clotilde etc. You might even find them in a LQS.

Tension is way off - one side too tight, the other too loose. I've seen that on my machine for no apparent reason. It's an old machine and I just jiggle the settings until it settles down.
Here is some good news: It's so loose, it should come out easily!
Good luck!

I had a lot of similar issues with a Janome but they extended to regular sewing. I ended up taking it in for service, and it did sew better. They probably adjusted the top and bottom tension...not sure.