Most quilters start in the middle of the quilt and work their way out. The closeness of the quilting depends on the type of batting you use. It will state on the batting what the minimum amount of quilting you can use is for that batting. Also, personal taste comes into play for the amount of quilting. Some folks like heavy quilting, some don't.
Quilting designs can be found in many places. There are stencils available at quilt shops, hobby stores and online. The quilting can also just follow the lines of the blocks.