My favorite quilt pattern for now is a pineapple quilt.
I find that a sharp rotary blade prevents lots of arm pain!
Sewing advice: Sew on an index card. Put the side of your foot along one of the lines on the card and sew. Take the card out. If your sewing is on top of the next line, your 1/4" seam is accurate.
And, another: to tell if you are using cotton or a poly/cotton fabric- 1st iron the fabric on a cotton setting, smell it; if it has a smell, it contains polyester. Toss it! And the burn test-light the edge of the fabric with a match over a sink and blow it out. Touch it, if it is soft, it is cotton, and good. If it is crunchy or beady, it is poly. Toss it!
My other favorite quilt site is Interweave. I like purchasing their downloads for my computer. Better than watching vampire shows!
My main other activity is dyeing; especially bamboo products. I also like gardening and logic puzzles.