Hi! I'm pretty new to this quilting business, too. I love the Practical Guide to Patchwork! I think that will be a great resource for learning the basics, though there are tons of great tutorials here and elsewhere online to get you through each step of quiltmaking. I made my first help strictly with help from the internet! I stumbled on this site when making my first quilt. I asked for help at just about every step and received amazing advice and encouragement! By the time it was done, I was hooked, and on to the next.
No help on the machine front--I'm still just using my basic Brother machine because it is light and portable. I'm shopping for a machine better suited to quilting, though. There are too many to choose from! I'm taking my time since I don't have a great place now to set up a machine in a permanent spot.
Good luck with your quilting adventures!