Hi!
I also am new. Just made a rag quilt for DGD and it turned out cute. I first cut out all my blocks. I made them 6 inches square.
I cut the batting 5 inch square. Then I sewed all three pieces together; front, batting and back with a 1" seam allowance. Then I sewed an "X" in the middle of the blocks to quilt them. I then sewed the rows, then sewed the rows together and clipped with rag quilt shears. Attached (hopefully) is a picture. I have never sewn anything in my life and am quite proude of this. I got on You Tube and saw a wonderful video form Minnesota Quilts on how to mak a tube pillowcase. So I made that to match the quilt.