As others have said, getting the basics -- straightening the fabric, cutting accurately, accurate seams, proper pressing -- is the first order of business and a Beginner Quilting Class is where you learn this. For reference at home when the teacher isn't around to answer your questions, I highly recommend Harriet Hargrave's "Quilters Academy (all four volumes), Sally Collins "Art of Machine Piecing" and "Mastering Precision Piecing," and if you piece by hand, Jinny Beyer's "Quiltmaking by Hand." Since I have had Harriet's "Quilters Academy" books, my piecing accuracy has improved tremendously. I have taken Harriet's machine quilting class, but I'm afraid that I haven't put the practice into that to consider myself accomplished plus I still prefer hand quilting. Her book "Heirloom Machine Quilting" is an excellent resource for that. After you have taken a class or classes and read all these references, you will probably find your own technique. I remember what a seasoned quilter told me when I started -- The only hard and fast rule for quilting is that the thread goes through the eye of the needle."