What is your best tip for a complete beginner
 

Thought this might be interesting, what is your one biggest tip for someone who is a complete beginner?

Or if there was one thing that you wish you knew back then that you knew know, what would it be?

my biggest tip would be to join the Quilting Board for the best advice on anything and everything quilty. :)

Relax and enjoy the journey. I was always afraid to try something new in case I cut the fabric wrong. And have seam rippers everywhere.

Precision in your cutting and your scant 1/4" seam will make a world of difference in reducing your stress and making any project go smoother. Find and use tools to make precision easy (non-slip rulers, comfortable rotary cutters, a good 1/4" foot for your machine).

Fall in love with a fabric collection and purchase a precut package. It will be color coordinated and will provide variety without having a "stash". Also purchase a few solids or marbles that coordinate, backing and binding. You can get your feet wet and with a simple pattern have amazing first results. It can get overwhelming to try to pull a quilt together from scratch for the first time, this will avoid that confusion.

Have a good source of quilting buddies.

Yes we can read books and learn on our own but for me it is the fellowship and the sharing that makes quilting even more fun.

You are really blessed if you find a good quilt guild or group that also has quilting education as part of its mission.

After each block is done for a quilt and before sewing blocks together into rows, square them up, see if each one is the required size. Of course if the 1/4 inch seam is right on, this will be great and not much is needed to square them up.

Enjoy and find out as much as possible

Watch free videos on You Tube. There are lots for the beginning quilter. Just to watch someone do something may help you with something else. Eleanor Burns videos are all free on line. She is a great teacher.

Take suggestions from other quilters with a grain of salt. :) You would think there is only one way to screw in a light bulb...but ask ten different people how they do it and you'll get ten different answers. :)