All the tips are great and so true. One thing that wasn't mentioned is to be sure your fabric edge is exactly on the line on your ruler. It's easy to put it just over the line or just under the line. To make sure it's exactly on the line, look at the spaces between the marked lines. ( most rulers have spaces or like a dotted line.) You should see the edge of your fabric in the space going exactly between the center of the lines. Hard to explain, hope you understand. Keep trying everything till you get it right! Getting things exact now will make your future quilting experiences so much more enjoyable.