Welcome from Tennessee. Yes, those accurate seam allowances can make a huge difference. The more seams the more room for error. You can quilt on your machine. It make take a bit but is doable. Start from the center and work outward. Then turn the quilt and work from the center outward to the other edge. Just take it easy and be proud of the accomplishment you have done. Done is better than perfect. It is a learning process and should be a fun hobby. Don't sweat the small stuff

Hi and welcome from North Carolina! You've come to the right place for help and encouragement. My advise is put the huge quilt away for a while, until you get some experience. Start off with a simple pattern, like a 4- or 9-patch one. And, a smaller one...a lap size or one for a child. Don't aim for perfect. It will be a fine quilt that you'll treasure as your beginning of a wonderful new hobby. Relax and have fun!

Welcome from Michigan!:)

Welcome from Ontario!

I'm travelling to Tryon North Carolina in September for the World Equestrian Games...is that near you and are there any great quilt stores I shouldn't miss? I'll be there a week.

Watson

Thanks so much for the pointers ArtsyOne. I'll do my best and will post the pics, but at this point I'm not sure what to expect. :o)

Hi Everyone. Thanks for the words of encouragement. I think it's necessary. Decided to meet this challenge head on and simply go for it. Been watching youtube as suggested by several of you, and there are some pretty great videos out there. Certain there'll be mistakes but if I'm learning it'll be worth it. My mother always told me that if I learned something then it couldn't be considered a waste of time. I'll have to research the area to find a good quilting club here in the South Carolina Midlands area. Seriously, your comments and suggestions mean a lot. Thanks.

Hi Grasshopper and welcome to the board!
The others have given you good advice.
I want to add something: Your machine may not be adequate for machine quilting if the throat area is small but at this point I wouldn't even worry about that step. That's in the future.
I hand quilted for many years and just recently decided I wanted to learn machine quilting. I have a lovely machine but the throat area was too small (frustrating) so I bought a mechanical straight stitch only just for quilting. I love it and have improved. I still have a long way to go though.
I would invest in a cutting mat and rotary cutter. It's so much easier than scissors! (that's all we had when I started) so I know how you feel.
As the others said- start small. You will gain confidence.
Lastly, Youtube has all kinds of videos for learning the quilting process. And this board is a wealth of help and information.
Good luck :)
Oh- one more thing- get a good ruler

Welcome from South Louisiana.