Thank you for the Link Rhonda! I will make sure to master my 1/4" seam before I go to the fancy stuff! I feel like I have pretty good hand/eye coordination and sense of design to make it look good but i want to practice lol! Thank you!

I starch everything I'm going to work with. I thread baste my sandwiches, I absolutely HATE pin basting, I like spray basting, but don't like the cost, fumes and the mess with the overspray. A table for the machine won't really help with the extra room you need, sewing clothing and such isn't the same as wrestling with a quilt in the same space.

Pocoellie- From the videos I watched yesterday (while stitching up a pair of my husbands pants) I saw the lady starch as she ironed, correct?
I'll be working off my dining room able (not very big, but the perfect square lol) since we have a tiny apartment, were limited on space and furniture. Oh, that is true, you're right, I was thinking about the wrong side of the machine haha!

Welcome to the QB. You are jumping into the quilting world, no doubt about that! Lots of questions in your post and that's a good thing.

- Washing fabric - is both a preference, and for some of us, a necessity. Some of us wash fabrics to get the sizing and chemicals out of it as they can cause allergies. Reds and other highly saturated fabrics tend to bleed the dye into other fabrics in a quilt, so always test for color fastness. Just cut a small piece of the fabric and put it in a glass of cold water. For example, with red, if the water turns from clear to red or pink, the fabric bleeds. Wash the fabric in cold water/detergent and use a color catcher to absorb the dye that washes out of the fabric.

When you use flannel fabrics the recommendation is to wash and dry flannel two times. It has a looser weave, so shrinks more than 'regular' cotton, and it is full of lint. You will understand the lint thing when you look at the dryer filter after drying the flannel.

Starching fabric - some people swear by it, some people sneeze by it. I am a "sneezer", so can't use it.

- Patterns: Perhaps you could look into making a sampler quilt, where you make different blocks of the same size with the same fabrics, then put them all together in one quilt. That way you can try the blocks you're looking at, and then decide whether you want to make an entire quilt using the block. Also, if your Mom lives close enough to you, she might be able to provide you with tips on technique.

- Size of quilt: I agree with the recommendation to start with a baby quilt. Learn the basics, get some mastery of them, and then up the degree of challenge and size. And Christmas will be here before you know it, quilts take longer than you think, so don't promise them to anyone for Christmas.

- Quilting the quilt sandwich - backing, batting and top - is a challenge all it's own. It can be done on a domestic sewing machine (DSM). It is, in my opinion, hard work. However, if you can do it, it's also a great accomplishment. This is another good reason to start with a baby quilt.

An alternative to quilting the sandwich is to tie it. This method has been around forever and works well. It is not unusual to see an old, tied quilt in good shape and still in use. If you decide to tie a quilt, follow the instructions for the batting to determine how far about the ties should be. Some batts say 4", some 8" and so on. That applies to quilting on your DSM as well.

Yet another alternative is to use one of the "quilt as you go' techniques for your quilt. I've never done it, so have no opinion on whether is it better or worse than the previously mentioned techniques.

- Your sewing machine - Sounds like it is just fine for you to use on a first quilt, second quilt, maybe on all the quilts you ever make. When you know that you like quilting as a long term hobby, then invest in a better sewing machine when you can afford it.

Enough from me. Enjoy your quilting.

Thank you for all the time you invested in this post! I appreciate all the advice!!!! Unfortunately my mom doesn't make quilts, they have all been passed down from family or given to us as gifts. But I know she would love one made by me, so I am looking forward to making her one!

Thank you for all the tips! They are very helpful, I didn't think about doing a small piece of the fabric in the water, I will do that for sure!!! I will be sure too keep you all updated (which means I will be asking more questions!) on my progress and when I break out my machine for my first stitches!

gacountrygurl, I'm another country girl from Arkansas, currently (since 1967) living in Florida. I'm also a rank amateur when it comes to quilting. It can be so much fun, but other than the very good advice you've already received, I have just a couple of things. Whenever you get frustrated (and you will -- it's normal) you need to walk away from your project for an hour or two, maybe longer -- that's your decision. If you continue to work when something isn't going right, you become totally frustrated and sometimes folks just walk away from the project permanently. You sound like a very energetic young lady. It helps a lot that you have done some sewing in the past, even if it wasn't quilt-making. The last thing I'm going to suggest is don't be too hard on yourself -- allow yourself to be human. None of us are perfect so we can't create "perfect" things. The best we can do is strive for excellence. I think you're going to do well -- just give yourself time! Welcome to the board from another newbie. Good luck, and remember we're as close as your computer!

Another new quilter...how exciting. Your fabrics look great and it seems you have been given a lot of good advice already. I just want to say Welcome to the QB...remember to have fun!

Welcome, I agree with the others, I think starting with a baby quilt first would be your best bet. In my opinion those patterns you showed are a bit more complicated than a beginner might want to try. I would suggest that you go to Missouri Star Quilts tutorials on You Tube and watch some of Jenny Doan's tutorials. She has a lot of tutorials and shows some easy ways of making various quilts. There are so many tutorials that are really good on You Tube, but I really enjoy Jenny's. Try something easy first and as someone else posted don't promise something for Christmas. Quilts do take time and as stated before Christmas will be here before you know it. Take your time and ENJOY your journey. The machine doesn't make the quilt, you do, but machines are a necessity today, your machine doesn't have to be fancy to do a good job. I do the majority of my piecing on my 1935 Feather Weight at 83 years old it sews great - sews straight and reverses, nothing fancy, but I love it. Just have fun and ask questions when you need to, be sure to share with us through your journey. I might add, before you begin sewing, get out the manual for your machine if you have one, or download one and see how to clean and oil your machine, if it has not been used for some time it does need some tender loving care. I oil my machines and clean them after about 8 hours of sewing or every project if it isn't a large one. DON'T use canned air on your machine. If you need help locating a manual just ask there are SO MANY - knowledgeable people on this board and they are all so helpful.

I don't use the canned starch, it's expensive and doesn't go far, I use Sta-Flo concentrated and dilute 50/50. A lot of people spray the starch, then iron, but complain because the gunk gets all over their iron and flakes on the fabric, this is because they're ironing the starch and not the fabric. After spraying, the fabric needs to have a minimum of 2 hours to absorb the starch, so after starching, put the fabric in a large ziplock bag or the like for a couple hours, take it out, shake and either air dry or put in the dryer for a few minutes, then iron, I will usually spray with water while ironing, but I've never had any gunk or flakes from doing it this way.

There are some things that you will almost get conflicting advice/suggestions for and/or multiple ways for "how to do"

Some of the topics are:

to wash or not wash fabrics before cutting them
to use or not use starch/sizing
how to make half square triangles
what kind batting to use
the list goes on

If you can sign up for a "beginner" quilting class, that might be helpful. I think one of the big hurdles for someone that has been sewing clothing (using woven fabrics) is going from a 5/8 inch seam allowance to using 1/4 inch seams allowances - even though we've been trimming down inside collars, etc.

You might also consider asking for suggestions for a a "how to quilt" reference book. There are many out there - maybe check at your library to see which one(s) you like better. I consider myself to be an "advanced beginner" - and some of the books are easier to follow than others.