I have used both tracing paper from Walmart and June Taylor from JoAnn (prefer this and I look for it when I have a 40% off coupon). Both work well. As for the size of your material, make sure it is at least 1/2" bigger than the patch you want to cover. Go to www.quilterscache.com - she has great tutorials on quilting including paper piecing as well as hundreds of patterns you can download for free. I put it as an icon on my toolbaar so I can access it quickly. Good luck - it's a great fun way to quilt.