Newbie, if you can sew, i'ld suggest getting one of Eleanor burns irish chain books, and starting with those first. that's what I did. the book will talk you thru what you do, etc. and go to Missouri start quilt company and watch a couple of her tutorials. she'll make you hungry to learn more. but start with the very easiest irish chain first, and get it done.

Don't worry about 'being perfect'. just get your first quilt done complety first. if you can afford it, i'ld get someone to quilt it in a cheap panagram . that way, someone else would do the sandwiching, and layering on the first one. you could learn to do the binding also.... about $50 for a queen , maybe.

Quilts! Quilts! Quilts! by DianaMcClun and Lara Nownes is one of my favorite "beginner" books. It's one of the few that I've actually studied and made almost every block shown.

I just love to hear that young women or men are joining our quilting ranks! Spending a little more for the name brand rotary cutter, blades, and SELF-HEALING mat will be well worth it. Go to quilt shop or two and ask about what cutters they use--they cut yards of fabric daily. Ask to hold and maybe even try it out--what feels best in your hand is what counts. Big box stores like JoAnn's and others have their cutters packaged and you can't do that
And check into local quilds--ours offers 6-7 beginner classes for the price of membership---a great way to get started!

don't buy the cheapest ones, get Olfa and they will last

Yes...the 45 is the most common size used regardless of brand name. I hope we didn't confused you with the
Info on what brand to buy. BUT the olfa and Frisar are good ones

Try use a Joann coupon if you aren't ordering online!

I have a friend who sews but is not a quilter. She needed a 2 inch strip, aprox 80 inches to finish a changing table pad. I used my cutter, ruler and mat with fabric that I had on hand. Yesterday she called asking the same question as this thread. She was making her Christmas list to give to her children. She was so impressed with how quickly I cut them for her that she finally decided I was time to move to the 21 Century. Again, the answers here were right on. I even copied these answers (not your names) and sent them to her. Walmart huh?!

Thanks for all of the great responses!