There are several embroidery groups on yahoo for you to join and also embroidery library.com has several good tutes. A lot of it is learning by trial and error. I test stitch everything! I test it on a similar fabric and if I have enough of it, I will make the piece big enough so I can use it for a quilt square later (if it turns out good). Or I will put the test piece in a binder with a printout of the design and notes on stabilizer used, thread colors used and/or a note if something didn't quite stitch out correctly. I also keep a 3 ring binder of articles that are posted on the groups such as Stabilizer, Needles, Placements, Thread, etc. That way I can refer to a certain section if I need to check something out.