Quilters cotton use cutaway,Tearaway puckers like crazy, I am still learning like you it is a fun hobby, but unfortunately just as expensive as quilting
http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/ELProjects/Default.aspx
Here is a good website with lots of info that helped me as a newbie 6 months ago
Fabric 101 and the helpful how to's are really good sections
They also have nice designs for sale, check them out