I don't have a LA but if I did, I think I would practice on some Jelly Roll tops. I would load the top so that the stitching lines were horizontal and use those like lined paper. I would choose patterns I wanted to try and quilt them between 3 or 4 rows of the top. After I got confident with those, I would load a pre-printed top and try quilting around the pattern. Some people like to put in a large floral fabric and outline the flowers with quilting.