Ditto!! It took me a while to get away from pinning everything, coming from a garment construction background. But now I find that I use pins mostly for matching seams.
And those wonderful quarter inch seams can be gotten with the foot, as suggested, or by marking your machine with the blue painters tape at a scant 1/4". (Painters tape does not leave adhesive when you remove it.)
Enjoy your quilting! You will find it addictive! And soooo relaxing! ;)