It took me a good month to learn to relax. I was so tense wanting my stitches to be straight and small. Now I just do it and don't worry about it. I have found a my style which is sewing towards me using a thimble on my middle finger to rock the needle back and forth. I have just been trying a size 12 between and I like it. My stitches don't turn on me. It is a mental idea of not "how much I can get done" but rather "I am so glad to have this to do". I do not have a big "stash. I buy what I need then the with the left overs I make a scrap quilt but I am "getting my money's worth out of my purchase. That sounds rather miserly but it works. I have a small stash of material that I bought on sale but it fits into one plastic container. I have about two containers of scraps. I am amazed at the material that some of you quilter have but then you are making a lot more quilts than I am and I can see you need to have it on hand to be creative.