The best advice I can give is to read up or ask here on the Board anytime you have a question.
There are always short cuts, but I would tend to wait to do them until I had a little practice under my belt if I were you. The first quilt is always the hardest since you're unsure of yourself.
Just remember to relax and enjoy the experience of your first quilt. There are no Quilting Police that will come and take you away if you make a "mistake" here and there. There are no "mistakes". You really meant to make it look like that :D