Originally Posted by QuiltnNan
i'm sorry that so much is going wrong. part of learning fmq is to train your muscles in certain movements. lots of folks buy a dry erase board and just practice the movements on that whenever they have spare time. some folks just doodle on paper. you might try one of those.
I've taught a lot of machine quilting classes, and drawing is the way I start them out. Usually on paper, but a white board is a great idea! If you have trouble drawing the design, you will have trouble quilting it, so you need to develop "muscle memory" like drawing a design will do. Also, I think it is hard to follow a design. Look up some of Charisma's quilts. She quilts beautifully, and it's not following a design. Draw some simple designs on the paper or whiteboard a few times, and then try to do it on the machine (without getting upset if it isn't perfect- it WILL get better). Practice just meandering. And have a beer first - it loosens up those shoulders! :)