I often just put on scrap pieces that I find at thrift shops, and leftover batting and just do a practice piece. After I'm done with them if they arent good enought to make something(like a purse or a pillow) I cut them up into 12 inch blocks for cleaning around the house. They are good for dusting and mopping with an old swiffer sweeper, you know the manual kind, no tank. When I first started doing this I would date the piece with marker so I could see my progess. Watch videos on youtube, theres tons of advice on there. Good luck and have fun, its just like when you first rode a bike, you had to keep at it before you could get good at it, but once you learn, you just jump right back on like you never left.