Keith,
Welcome to the board from another newbie!
I would definitely think that mastering quilting will prepare you for stitching that hot air balloon... except I think you will have a bigger challenge with the slippery-ness of the silk or parachute fabric.
And if you want to correctly spell the Southern contraction of "you all", it's "y'all".
As the saying goes, "American by birth, Southern by the grace of God". I'm one of those G.R.I.T.S., ya know (Girls Raised In The South).
Leta in Upstate SC