All of the other advice you have gotten is just wonderful. The only thing I will add is to WRITE THINGS DOWN. I took a serger class (actually several) last year and the one thing the instructor harped on was to write down all of your settings for each given fabric/technique. Granted, this was for a serger where sometimes it's a bit more finiky (sp) but I think it's an excellent suggestion for basic sewing as well. When you find the settings that work for your piecing; mq'ing; binding, etc., write down what fabrics/battings you used along with the settings that ultimately worked. I think it would probably save all of us a tremendous amount of time in the long run!