Hi....so you went for a Bernina in the end....I hope you really like it....and it sounds like you have a really decent dealer which is also really important.
If I was looking at doing a fun quilting project...I would probably recommend going onto You Tube and checking out the tutorials from the Missourri quilt company...
http://www.youtube.com/user/Missouri...&view=0&page=1
Hopefully this link will take you to the page that shows all the videos available
They have so many fun and inexpensive ideas, that would really get you used to using your machine in no time
Love to see what you make.