Buy only good quality fabric. Yardage or precuts----let that decision be YOURS not what someone else prefers.
You will make mistakes along the way---learn from them and enjoy the process! NO ONE will notice that your points don't meet perfectly. Buy the fabric that makes YOU happy.
START YOUNG because quilting becomes a part of your life and there is a lot of fabric and patterns calling your name!
ENJOY every step of the way. Learn from those gifted quilters out there with more experience than you. IF YOU LOVE IT, that is all that matters. Appreciate how important it is to receive something handmade by mom/grandma and teach this to your children.