And that about sums up my knowledge of either. I didn't know the terms had different meanings. I will check out the better homes and gardens guide. Thank you.

I am hoping to make a quilt for my daughter as my first project, but I would like to tackle other types of projects as well.

Quilting for Dummy's sounds like a good place to start. I will stop by a barnes and nobles and look it over.

thank you everyone for such quick responses.

I highly recommend the books by Harriet Hargrave called Quilter's Academy. Book 1 started with the basics, wash vs no wash, cutting, etc. There will be 6 books altogether. Good luck with your sewing adventure.

Lucky you to get the Necchi! It's a beautiful machine. I have the Necchi Supernova. Got it new about 50 years ago, and it is still my primary machine. I couldn't find a walking foot for it, so use my Elna when I need the walking foot, but the Necchi is still my go to machine. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine!

Quilts! Quilts! Quilts! is also an excellent book!

Also "It's Okay if You Sit on My Quilt Book" by Mary Ellen Hopkins. I like her 'adaptable'/practical' approach to making things.

Some people love Eleanor Burns' books - I'm not a big fan of cutting/trimming everything down after putting the piecs together. (HST units are an exception)

They are still available through Amazon - - -

Sewing/quilting - both seem to require a needle and thread to attach pieces of fabric together!

There are also some nice Singer books on sewing.
I would recommend the quilting book listed above.

Any book with lots of pictures- check your local library

If you want to make bra's : Anne St. Clair from Needle Nook has a great book.

Also - Use the internet- lots and lots and lots of information.

To start with- sew on a piece of paper or paper towel to get the hang of moving your hands. Draw a line and see if you can follow it.

Figure out where a 1/4" scant seem is on your machine, and mark it for quilting.

You may also want to look for some tutorials on YouTube. I've been quilting or years, but I absolutely love Jenny Doan from the Missouri Star Quilt Company. She uploads a new tutorial every week. I have probably made at least a dozen quilts from her videos. Her early tutorials cover a lot of the basics, so you may want to start there. Most of her tutorials are less than 10 minutes, so they are not a major time commitment for you. I must admit, I've watched many of her tutorials more than once just for the entertainment value they hold! Be sure to post a pic of your first project!

I recently signed up for http://sewing.patternreview.com/

Seems to be a great resource for everything sewing! After you sign up for the free account they actually give you some beginner sewing tutorial videos. Hope this helped.

I learned a lot from all kinds of YouTube videos. I also have a few books. "Quilting 101, A Beginner's Guide to Quilting" is a good book. I use Albris.com to find used books. Blogs written by quilters and sewers are also a great source for inspiration and tutorials. Have fun.

My go-to book is Better Homes and Gardens "Complete Guide to Quilting". It even has special instructions for south paws, practice grid sheets and is the best one I have run across.