A lot depends on what kind of quilter you want to be. I am a hand quilter but do a lot of machine quilting for Linus Quilts. A good way to decide on which way you want to quilt is to make two samples and try each method. Place a piece of fabric, half a yard or so down on a flat surface. Lay a piece of batting or a piece of flannel the same size on top of that and then another piece of fabric the same size on top of both of them. Pin it together with either straight pins, safety pins or baste it loosely by hand. Then practice sewing or (quilting) all over it either by hand or with your machine. If doing it by hand it helps if you put it in a frame of some kind. A larger embroidery frame would work. If you want you can draw on the top piece of fabric a design that you can follow. A regular pencil would work or there are lots of different marking tools out there. If you like and or enjoy this process you are ready to be a quilter. I personally like the hand quilting process the best and have made several queen sized white whole cloth quilts. Many others enjoy cutting pieces and sewing them back together before they actually get to the quilting part. I suggest you purchase a yard or so of what I call "cheaters cloth". It is fabric printed to look like a pieced quilt. Layer it and use it to practice your hand or machine quilting on. You can just sew on it anywhere it looks like a seam. I often use that kind of fabric on one of my give away quilts. The average non quilter can't tell it from a pieced quilt. Good luck and enjoy.