Hi Paula, welcome to the board!
I can only tell you my experience. I started quilting when everyone was hand quilting- that was many years ago. So machine quilting is still rather new for me. I started with small projects, and also made sample quilt sandwiches about 15 or so inches square to get the hang of machine quilting. There is definitely a learning curve.
When you quilt a large quilt it's a good idea to have a machine with a large enough throat area in which to work. I rely on Youtube videos to get a lot of good tips and great tutorials for learning many aspects of quilting.
It can seem daunting but hopefully you will keep plugging away at it. You'll be surprised at how quickly you will advance your skills.
It all takes practice. Best of luck to you!
This board is a treasure trove of information so ask away
One more thing- you may find that you enjoy the planning and piecing of a quilt and not the quilting of it. There are many people who send quilts out to be quilted. Bottom line- there is no right way to do anything but whatever works for you and makes you happy.