Welcome neighbor! I'm a newbie too. I joined a block of the month at a local quilt shop. They have a group on the 2nd Saturday of the month every month for a year. I gave them $6 in February and so long as I do the block every month and bring it to the next meeting I get the next block for free. (doesn't keep me from spending money on other stuff BUT it does leave the money free for more stash!) So at the end of the year I'll have learned at least 12 new patterns, practiced a bunch of different piecing (flying geese, HST, QST, etc.) I'm free to put the blocks together any way I want or I can follow their guidance and use their finishing kit (where they make the real money) or pull from stash to do it however I like.
I recommend it but I would have preferred an easier group of patterns. Some have gone well but others are for more advanced quilters and I just ham handed my way through them. So if you can find one near you geared to beginners that would be great.
Also, look for a quilting guild in your area. They should have a newbie group with an experienced adviser.