I was thinking back to when I learned to use the EQ, hope my experience may help some that are just starting the journey. I know that everyone learns in their own way but sitting down and reading the manual cover to cover just doesn't do it for me. My method was just to start by copying a quilt. One from a magazine works but can just as easily be a any simple design. By working my way through the process of "inputting" a quilt I learned the basics in a very short period of time. To this day I am still learning, but for me, actually accomplishing the first quilt made the learning painless. In addition, if you get stuck, just ask and someone will jump in and help. Success to all that are just learning.