very nice pillow. i always tell people that want to start quilting-start small. then its not too overwelming and satisfaction on a completed job is quicker. I think for a first baby quilt a rail fence ora log cabin with wider logs would be great patterns. My first baby quilt was a log cabin type out of a book of fast baby quilt patterns by Ursula Reikes. That quilt was made in 2001 and went through 4 kids-3 of them boys! I still use the quilt book too because it seems that i always need on e fast.