I have a dear friend who had No sewing experience, but wanted to learn to sew and quilt. We started with a couple of table runners and coasters then went to the jelly roll quilt, easy and fast to sew together for quick results, she made 6 of these in no time. Now she has started with easy blocks and is having a blast. I think perhaps one should start with a 4 patch pattern if you don't want to do the strips like a jelly roll.