I was in a similar spot and here is what I did: I took some of those quilting designs (meander, swirls, loop-di-loos, feathers, etc.) and practiced them with pencil on a sketch pad. I have PAGES of these doodles and the more I did them, the more comfortable they became (and the more consistent). Then I took a table runner and did my SID first. I MADE myself just to get started. Pick one (or more) of the overall designs and go to town. It is very freeing once you jump into the deep end (so-to-speak).