I have a Janome and use a 80/14 for machine quilting. I was having problems with tension and thread breaking and after I figured out two things it seems to have gotten better. First, I was holding the needle thread, but it was coming off directly from the needle without going under the free motion foot. When I started pulling it under the foot, things were better. The other problem I had (and still have, but I'm working on it) is that I was moving the quilt too fast for the stitching speed. I set a higher stitch speed and slowed down my hands and things are looking up. Who knew there was such a huge learning curve to FMQ??? When you watch Leah Day or someone do it online or in person, it looks easier than it is, that's for sure.