Just jump right in on a quilt that you plan to use yourself. The thought comes to me I"m saving a ton of money if I can learn to do this. So each quilt I say to myself," Well I just put over $100.00 in my pocket". Just think of all the fabric you can buy with that!! Have fun and you will be amazed how good it will look. I did buy a couple of books and read up on it which helped. I used the books that Alex Anderson wrote and they were very helpful. I have been machine quilting on my 830 Bernina, but nothing bigger than a twin size. The picture will show my very first one and all it's mistakes but it was fun and I learned a lot. Good luck and have fun!