When I was starting out someone said to practice for one hundred hours. So I made some charity quilts and offered to quilt charity quilts my friends made - let them know I'd be practicing - and kept at it. I'm sure I hit the hundred hour mark somewhere in there. I'm very comfortable now. Other tips: use a topstitch needle and high quality thread. I love So Fine! from Superior Threads. It's a little finer, so won't show up as much as a thicker thread. Use quilting gloves. Put a Supreme Slider on the throat of your machine, it really makes a difference when your quilt slides freely. It is also very helpful to have a cabinet for your machine so that the throat is level with the top of the cabinet. I also put a table behind my cabinet to hold the weight of the quilt. If it's sliding off the cabinet you'll have jerky stitches. Relax and good luck!