Actually, I don't think they're that hard to make. I use muslin and batting scraps for my practice and warm up pieces. If you use Warm & Natural or a similar batting you don't even need to pin or spray baste. One thing I found that helped me in coordinating my hand speed with the machine speed was quilting my name or other words. I didn't have to concentrate on the pattern or where to go next cause the pattern was already in my mind. I also found it helpful to outline quilt on fabric with large designs like flowers, animals, etc.