Thank you! There's no real pattern to the stitching. No planning or anything beyond making it swirly and asking myself "where have I not stitched yet?" So, don't worry about trying to see a pattern when there isn't one. :)

Part of me wonders if my problems stem from the fact that I've never had my machine serviced and it's got a lot of little problems that, on their own, aren't any trouble, but when you add them all together make for a nuisance. I wanted to get through this project and then take my machine in, so hopefully next time things work out better.