My very first quilt was a French Braid made using Jane Hardy Miller's book. Though they look fancy, they're very easy. The hardest (but most fun) part is choosing the fabric run.

Good luck!

Great information, thanks for sharing!

To the OP - I hope you have a speedy recovery!

Here's a link to Missouri Quilting tutorials for beginners. They are very informative.

http://tutorials.missouriquiltco.com/

Avoid triangles! Also avoid too much seam matching. A bricks pattern is a good one. Most of the joy of a pattern like that is in the fabric choices -- my favorite part!

Oh, and have fun -- if it's not fun, then put it aside and do something else.

I want to thank you all so much for all your help. I can always count on you.

Nice to have you here. You will find lots of help. I made several of the youtube videos of Missouri Star quilt company. They have video tutorials of how to make many easy patterns (really super easy) and look very elegant. I probably made half of her quilting tutes last year and all were nice.
Good luck

Oh here is the link to one of them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl_OPPpXNLM

log cabin, rail fence, irish chain, lovers knot are all easy strip patterns that I have had no problem with.

This is a great thread for all us beginners : )

My mother has made lots of quilts and is currently making a Disappearing 9-Patch with 4 1/2 in. squares. She says it is the easiest quilt she has ever made. She likes to keep them simple, so avoids triangles. For ideas for a Disappearing Nine Patch, search this board. There are lots of variations and easy tutorials.

Alex Anderson has a very good "beginner's" book which has several of these patterns in besides lots of basic instructions.