I am far from a FMQ-er ... just a wannabe!
Two suggestions I have been taught, and make sense to me ...
* practice with pencil and paper, to get the idea of where to go and how to do it! ... productive doodling, is what I call it and can do it anywhere, anytime!
* never move your hands on the quilt, with the machine running! Stop the machine, reposition quilt and hands before starting to stitch again!
I do better doing something, than just practice sandwiches ... so I see a lot of mug rugs, placemats and pot holders in the future!!!