Welcome to the wonderful world of quilting and the quilting board. To get wonderful tips and beginner advice on all types of quilting techniques, I went to this link: allpeoplequilt.com I also like Missouri Star Quilt Company for their how to videos.
To answer your ?, some patterns say to start in the middle to lay your first strip of fabric and others say start at one end and work your way across to the other side to keep the bulk of the quilt going to your left . You will learn there are many ways to accomplish the same thing. It is helpful to read and/or watch video of how other quilters have success.