Guess I was just lucky all those years ago when I saw a picture of a braided quilt in a magazine & just had to make one,king size to boot.Had no clue how quilts were made,so cut out a couple strips of cardboard & went at it with my scissors & trusty Sears $ 60 special.There were maybe 3 paragraphs of instructions.
I sewed & sewed using Walmart fabric.
By the time a friend's Sis offered to quilt it for me,I had 2 more tops done,a Log cabin & and a Roman Star,all K size.When they were returned,I cried.They looked beautiful to me & I was so proud!
From there,I went to the library & found books on quilting.Along with magazines,they were my teachers.What worked for me was asking questions,but also using common sense.
By the way,I still have my 1st 3.They are wonky for sure,but still beautiful to me.