join the local guilds.
guilds typically have a library of books and patterns that you can borrow.
they also do charity work with donated fabric and you can get experience and scraps by sewing and quilting the charity quilts.
all the non-scrappy quilters of the guild bring in their scraps for the scrap bin and any of the members are welcome to take as much as they want. i just dropped off 2 tubs of scraps at this weeks meeting.
members routinely trade fabrics with each other so that's another way to acquire some fabric that you need for a project.