Would you suggest taking a class, watching a video, joining a guild?

I would suggest taking a class. It is only a little bit of time vested as opposed to a quilt which is usually a year's commitment. The class is as a workshop plus some homework, but most of the sewing is during the class with the teacher. So help is right there in person.  The first class I took was Eleanor Burn's Trip Around the World from my local quilt shop (The Quilter in Vancouver, WA). The owner was the teacher and she loves to teach and has so much to share. Anyway, it was a six week class and I learned how to rotary cut using a mat and a ruler, pressing (I never knew there another way than what I did with making garments), 1/4 inch seams, and borders.  At the end of the six weeks I had a quilt top completed.

Start with a specific technique, pattern, author or book?

Simple, but picking fabric to make it look spectacular.  Eleanor Burns is a terrific author to start with. Her patterns are well written and understandable.

What tools do you suggest?

Rotary cutter, mat, ruler, pins (flat head quilting pins), scissors, 1/4 inch walking foot for your sewing machine, and of course your sewing machine.

Delores Johnson