As a novice yet determined sewer, I figured the best way to work up to making a full quilt would be to start small, and by small I mean 'mug rugs'. What is a mug rug? Well, it's basically a big coaster made of quilting scraps, large enough for your mug as well as a treat on the side. They make for a fun little project, and are fairly easy to put together.
There are endless online tutorials from far more experienced quilters on how to make a mug rug, so I won't run through the process, but I've shown the patterns and dimensions after the jump.