Pat,
My mistake was selecting the wrong design that did not fit in the hoop. It seemed like the pattern was jumping hither and yon with wild abandon and telling me to re-hoop after a few stitches. It was crazy. I was thinking that after all this work to get to this point and figuring out all the new stuff, this embroidery was just a very cruel joke. I took a deep breath, vented my frustration here on the forum, re-read the instructions and, lo and behold, realized I was not using the correct design. Once I figured out which design to use, it all worked. Then, In the middle of completing the design, I had a machine failure (not do to the embroidery design) and had to take it to the shop for two weeks. It is working fine now. I am keeping my fingers crossed that there will be no more equipment malfunctions and operator errors!
I certainly understand your frustration. I would love to finish this top by the end of the year, but the embroidery is consuming much time. Still, I will press onward. I hope you can as well.
Let me know if I can help,
Caryl