I did a lot of drawing on paper first - getting my meanders or stippling how I liked it, and making sure I could get out of an awkward space, i.e thinking ahead so I didn't back myself into a corner. That all helped me with hand/eye coordination as far as I am concerned.
Then I made a couple of Project Linus quilts, and used them as my practice pieces - I was quite pleased with my efforts, and I certainly felt the children wouldn't have minded if there was the odd boo boo in them.
Finally I felt strong enough to tackle one of my own. So my best advice is to doodle on every scrap of spare paper you can get hold of. I even used old newspapers at the beginning.