As a new quilter myself, I have had the same troubles. There are several suggestions her that work very well. I pre-wash and dry all my fabrics before starting, iron and starch them. I find that the starch helps keep the fabric from stretching when I cut it. Also, use the same ruler when cutting all your fabric for one project. As someone else here said, the lines may be slightly off from one maker to another. Next is to triple check your cut lines before cutting. I have rushed a project and sloppy cuts make for a poor outcome. Iron all seams, and yes, take the time to see how the seams will fall in your project. I pin everything, and make sure my intersections don't shift when I'm sewing them together. Also, if you have a little give in the length of one fabric over another, sew with the longer fabric on the bottom. The feed dogs on the machine should take up some of that give when you sew. I agree that you should learn where your 1/4" seem falls on your machine. Use painters tape to mark it on your machine, and that will help keep your place. This craft has a learning curve with it, but I love it. I also love this forum. I have learned so much just by reading what others have to say.