Have you read Free-Motion Quilting Made Easy by Eva A. Larkin? I, too, am an absolute greenhorn when it comes to free motion quilting. I am learning with the book open at my side! It has lots of very good ideas in it. So far (experience level of about two hours) what she says in the book is really helping me. Someone else on this board suggested bringing what you are quilting forward from behind the needle as opposed to sewing away from yourself. It seems to be working pretty well for me. I've only done about a ten by six inch piece though so you really can't say I'm an expert!