What I've done to improve my skills is to do small projects like place mats. I purchase fat quarters on sale at Joann's and buy a king size roll of Hobbs cotton batting at Michael's when I have a coupon. I use Golden Threads paper and trace a design on the paper. I always get better results if I have something to follow. It makes for cheap practice pieces and I feel like I'm working on a project rather than just doodling around. Place mats are easy to handle on the sewing machine and you can finish them quickly. I've made place mats for just about every occasion, and I can look back and see the progress that I've made.