I know that thread, needle size and thread tension all have a lot to do with a free motion quilting success. I've just been reading Diane Gaydynski's new book "Machine Quilting Guidebook" and she specifically talks about these topics. From my experience (prior to getting the Viking Fabric Mover) that I had to have a rhythm to machine quilting: faster speed and slow motion and very slow when coming to a point where I need to think about which way to go. Best wishes. PS: Check out some of the thread websites, they're very helpful in deciding what to use for what. Search for YLI and you'll see the sites.