I also bought the 8900 recently and have been doing a bit of FMQ with it. I use the "floating" foot. I prefer the closed toe over the open toe because sometimes the open toe foot will snag loose threads.
Have you found the adjustment screw on the foot that raises and lowers the foot? You can adjust it so that it just skims the surface of the quilt. Make sure you place your hands on either side of the foot when quilting and use gloves.
The gloves help you to manipulate the fabric better.