always take the time to trim up units--especially in complex blocks!
use fabric you love--otherwise you'll get sick of it real quick!
learn something from every quilt--which means its ok to make mistakes--and maybe even leave them in!

I love the way my mentor showed me to end a hand quilting thread. She would go through the same stitch a second time and then loop the thread over the stitch and go down the same hole and then let the needle come out some distance away and then cut it. It made it so much faster than me trying to tie a knot and then pull it through the fabric. Love this lesson.