Quiltingboard Forums - Newbies challenge

Quilters, especially new ones, if you like reading, there is a wonderful series "Elm Creek Quilts" 13 books, by Jennifer Chiaverini, starts with Apprentice Quilter. Then there is also a cookbook & 4 pattern books in her set.
You get the enjoyment of the stories which are all around quilters. But the explaination of step by step quilting is very good. They also come in audio books. I like to listen while I quilt. There are several good quilt related novels, from mystery to romance. This series reminds me of a TV series, a nice continued flow one book to the next, following the main charectors & their quilting.

If you really enjoy study of the scriptures, there are 3 series "Names of Jesus", "Women of the Bible" and "Psalms"
each has study guide & a block for each "name" or "woman", so you can create a sampler style quilt. These are also fun to learn & create as you go.

Most quilt classes are technique or pattern specific.
But most BOM are sampler style, learning many different blocks for each month. This way you get to find the blocks that you enjoy most. I love log cabins, they come in dozens of designs, and changing the blocks a little creates dozens more complete quilt looks.

When your ready to challenge yourself, try a mystery quilt.
You dont' know the end 'look' until the end. Each step from fabric amount, cutting, piecing blocks then sections, sashing & binding, are given one step at a time, the end is always fun. I love how just changing the fabric choices creates completely different quilt looks, even with the exact same pattern.

Try taking 4 blocks, aligning them differently, twisting and swapping. Now take 2 blocks the same fabric, but 4 blocks total (2 + 2), see all the variations. It's a fun way to learn, and not have to waste a whole quilt of fabric.

Use FQs or fat 1/8ths to learn from until you build up a fabric stash (supply). Go online to craigslist or ebay and dozens of online quilt shops, fabshophop is one collection of shops, to buy fabrics on sale & build/add to your stash.
I watch for free shipping, I'd rather spend a little more on the fabric if I'm not paying shipping. And I like paypal, safer in my opinion.
Watch garage sales, thrift shops, and buy jeans (I only go .25-.50 cents for fancy color jeans, or sparkle. But friends & family will usually donate old jeans for your project). Watch for prom dresses or brides maid dresses, crushed soft velvets of holiday outfits, these make nice crazy quilts. I collect mens neck ties also, and women's hankies.

For a beginner quilter, who's probably not entering any quilt show contests at first, or just wanting fun quilts for kids/grandkids, I know some have strong opinions on where fabric is bought, but children change their intersts faster than a quilt is warn out, even dragging it around & needing several washings. JoAnn fabric you can sign up for their flyer & always has lots of sales. Walmart, just feel the fabric, get something not thin & flimsy. Hancock is also good. These places usually have fabric collections that blend together, taking the guesswork out of picking the right fabric, a nice way to get started. After a while, you'll catch onto what to look for blending our own selections.

Quilt with a friend. I encourage joining quilt guilds or groups, check your community or local quilt shops will probably know who to contact. But if the time don't work out for you, find a friend to quilt with, even if your both beginners, once a week or once a month. It's nice to put together a few hours quilting with a friend. We rotate houses, have a lunch, take a break and take a walk. Or just share tea & dessert. Make time for yourself and your new hobby/craft. "If mama aint happy, nobody's happy". Instead of the computer (oops, here I am), or watching a TV show your really not interested in, schedule that hour or so for your quilting. No matter what, remember, nobody makes a perfect quilt. Everyone will be impressed by even the simplist pattern. We all had to start somewhere.
There's always time for the fancy star points and bargello quilts in the future. For now, enjoy and KISS (Keep it Simple Stitching).