I agree with everything everyone else said. Just take an ugly piece of material out of your stash & some cheap material for the backing & leftover batting will do just fine. First thing is to get used to the machine. Remember, it only goes where you direct it. Start with some meandering & then go to loops, swirls, curls & whatever you can think of. The more you move the machine in the same shape, the more muscle memory you build up. I'm not far ahead of you. I've had my machine since the end of March, but had frame issues for the first 4 months. I've actually only been quilting with it since the first of August. You can see my progression here on QB. The latest is "fit to be tied" in pictures. Yes, it's a lot of feathers. There are some online classes you can take to learn them. PM me for further information or help.