Woke up in the middle of the night and suddenly "realized" why I'd been saving all those old blue jeans. I cut strips and strips and strips, knowing nothing except that I would sew them together. I read LOTS of books. Turns out, the first (denim) quilt I made was so hard, no self-respecting quilter would even attempt it. High-loft batting, set-in seams - the whole deal. So 9 years later, I chain piece and keep it simple, with a good machine (and about 1,000 remnants and notions I'll never use) Live, learn. Rinse and repeat.