I have also been sewing clothes for years but had never made a quilt until May this year. I read loads of magazines and books and spent a lot of time on the computer teaching myself the basics. Then I decided to take a beginner class and boy, was I glad I did. When you learn on your own, you miss out on valuable information and time saving shortcuts that more experienced quilters have learned over the years. Besides the items listed by Patpitter, the class I took taught all the most commonly used blocks, which was awesome.