If you want to learn to quilt, enjoy the ride, one step at a time. If you just want a quilt for your bed, buy one and take the pressure off yourself. A smaller first time project might be less intimidating for you.
I highly recommend this book for all levels of quilting: Better Homes and Gardens: Complete Guide to Quilting.
I use a foot on my machine that has a little rutter on the edge. I set the needle position to a scant quarter inch for perfect quarter inch seams. Be sure to press each seam and square up your pieces as you go. Accurate cuts and seams is most of the battle. Also, Fons & Porter makes a red and cream colored seam ripper that is fabulous. It's really sharp, be careful not to slice your fabric with it. I have ripped out a foot of stitches at a time with one swoop :)