Welcome from Milwaukee first thing. Now the form/function thing. Many times when two different fabrics are sewn together, ie; cotton and satin, they don't act as partners. You get puckering; one will stretch and not the other. Your best bet is to piece your quilt top out of the same type fabric if you can. Your shirts would probably be a good first attempt. Try to cut your pieces with some precision if possible. You'll be happy later when you're sewing pieces together and they line up nicely. You have the right idea about the two sides (front and back) being pieced before the batting goes in. Don't sew the batting to one half before the other half is on. I like to use basting spray - sort of temporary glue. It holds the layers in a sandwich while you put the quilting in. Read labels on batting packages. Some has to be sewn as close as 6 inches apart and some you can get away with every 10 inches. Reason being; the batting is not designed to hold together in a sheet, it has to be reinforced. If you do your quilting too far apart the batting will come apart in the wash. Start in the middle and sew toward the edges to avoid puckers. Do you have a walking foot? Will your machine let you lower the feed dogs? No envelopes. You would never be able to get the batting piece the perfect size to fit into the slot and lay down. I hope some of this makes sense. It's a lot of info for the first lesson. Please feel free to Email me if you have more questions. And don't get discouraged. This is a wonderful hobby but you can't be in a hurry. Well, you can, but it will affect your results.