I had made some very simple quilts with lots of mistakes, but I have been sewing since I was 14, and that helped alot. I took a quilting class over 20 years ago, and it was how to make a quilt totally by hand- also tracing the pieces and cutting them out- no rotary cutters! Then I started buying every book I could find on quilting. I learned quite a bit from books- but I have also learned in the short time I have been hanging around here! Lol!