Your pooch is sooo cute! Try laying out a small piece of fabric that you don't want to cut ("decoy" fabric), wait for him to lie down on that, then lay out your real fabric. Congrats on your first pillow! That cabinet is just the nicest I've ever seen. And you have the original brochure for it. Over the moon is right (as Miriam said). Sorry you're having tension problems -- I'll let the experts help you on that. I suppose you've already checked for lint and thread bits. I sometimes clean the discs by taking a lint-free cloth, putting alcohol on it, and inserting it between the discs and moving it back and forth.