I prefer the midarm/longarm to a standard machine for quilting. My suggestion would be to load about one yard of top fabric/batting and backing on your frame and just start playing with it. You'll get the hang of it much faster than you think. All I can say is practice, practice, practice. Write your name, do some meandering, try a daisy, feathers, etc. If you load some fabic with a design on it (something with big flowers or leaves, etc.) you can try to trace around the design. This will help you get familiar with your machine and how it works. To me, it's much easier than doing it on the standard machine. When you're done you can make it into a pillow or bind it and give it to your favorite pet. I know you'll have a lot of fun :!: :-o