Hello, and welcome from Nevada.
Before you start with stencils and other forms of quilting, why don't you just get some practice in on your machine? Try this. Make a "practice sandwich". Take two pieces of fabric, preferably something you don't mind throwing away (and if you don't have any, check out places like Good Will, Salvation Army, etc.). Cut the pieces into about 12" square blocks so you have something to work with. Larger is fine too. It doesn't have to be precise. Pick anything for the batting. Flannel, or even just a third fabric will work. The trick here is to pick a print for the top. Start with, for example a larger print of flowers. Then spray baste the layers together. Now FMQ (free motion quilt) around each flower. The idea isn't to get it perfect, which you won't on the first try. The idea is to get used to FMQ. Get the feel of your machine. See how slow or how fast you can go without puckering, or making bird's nests of the bobbin thread. Check the tension. How are you doing? Is it working? By the time you've worked your way down to the small floral prints, and can do those perfectly, with no problems in the thread or tension, and you're really happy with the stitches, you're ready to start on a real quilt. You may pick it up quickly, or like me, it may take a while. In fact, I'm still working on it, but getting better and better all the time. It does take practice. I still can't quite follow the stencils, but I've improved so much from where I started, that I know I eventually will do it. And it was so much more fun than the boring exercises I found in a book!
Happy quilting to you, however you finally choose to learn it.