There are so many great tips here! I just wanted to say there are some really good books out there to read on the subject that covers everything from needles, thread, designs and even types of quilting for different types of quilts. One that comes to mind is "Quilting Solutions". That is the book that my friend had in her quilting class. I bought one from amazon and read it cover to cover and learned on my own. But, all that being said, they do have classes at the quilt shops or even sewing/ quilt expos for a short beginers class. I am the type of person who likes reading and doing. So I went that way.

I really enjoy quilting freehand. It is so liberating. I sometimes have four or five different ways of quilting in the same quilt. You will see what I mean as you get into it. Some curvy, some straight lines. Some echo quilting, some marked and planed out. You see what I mean? Each quilt is different and as your skills develop so will your own personal style.

Get yourself a drawing tablet and start doodling. I have multiple tablets going with different patterns. I do them in DIFFERENT scales (small - medium - large). My first attempt focused on loops and loops with alternates (hearts, leafs, double-loops, etc). The more you draw these patterns and repeat them, the more you are creating muscle memory. When you start quilting the same pattern, your body will remember how to do it because you practiced on paper. Then keep trying different patterns. It really works!

I practiced a lot of different ideas on this sampler quilt. Tip: working in defined spaces is very helpful, such as a lollipop in each square or the ribbons / leaves in small sashing spaces.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QGLAlGR4uM...Sampler%2B.jpg