Some of the older block books had the quilting lines included with the block, which as a new quilter, I really appreciated and followed religiously. I'm still a newbie to FMQ so must practice before I will put the needle on the actual quilt (a standard-throated Bernina). I like making a practice block with fabric scraps, pinning it into a sandwich, then drawing the design on it and doing multiple practice runs. With the drawn-on design, you get an idea of how it will look. The first run gives a better visual, then the rest of the runs are just practice to get the flow going. The key is to do this right before doing the actual quilting. If I have to put it down for very long, I have to get the practice block back out and build back up to it. I really hate taking out quilting stitches.