I think it depends on the person, some pick up things faster than others. Also some are more meticulous about their work, strive more for perfection. I learned from my aunt and while she has made way more quilts than me dozens to my three. I find that my seams are far more accurate because I am not in a hurry to make them or finish them as fast, but either way you will get better with time no matter what technique you do. I did a difficult paper pieced star recently, never did paper piecing, and it looks just beautiful, you would think I had been doing it for years. You can surprise yourself. I have seen some amazing first time quilts on here you would think they were advanced, and doing it for years. It amazes me and inspires me to get better. This whole board is an inspiration with all of the beautiful quilts and different talents. For me, I have noticed that my quilts will look beautiful, when I slow down, sure it might take me a year to finish, but i like the end result better than my quilts done fast