Hi Maria and WELCOME from Michigan! I hand and machine quilt. Hand quilting is nice to do if you LOTS of time. I read book and learned that way but now 25 years later, I found that it's easier to watch someone. I join a quilting group and found that there are always many people ready to help a beginner.
But I will tell you what I know... Before putting mine in a frame I baste it on the floor. Many people do it on a table and that works equally well. Spread your pressed backing fabric onto the floor or table (wrong side up) and tape it in place (blue painters tape works great). Mark your centers on all four sides with a pin at the edge. Next place the batting over. Place it gently.. dont pull and stretch it. Smooth it out. If it isnt centered well, pick it up and replace it correctly. Place your pressed quilt top over the batting, right side up, alining your centers. Gently smooth the top.

Quick side note: Make sure there arent any dark threads getting sandwiched in ...they can show up through a light top later and drive you NUTS...

I now pin baste the three layers. If you thread baste just take huge stitches across the centers both ways (then I also do diagonal). Everyone seems to do this differently so you'll devise your own way. Many quilt teacher have you hand baste every 6" to 8" across the quilt both ways. Just make sure your basting thread matches the background so that when you pull it out it doesnt leave fine trails of the basting thread color. You can clip out your basting as you get to it when quilting.
I prefer to pin baste and I usually use a whole box of basting pins for a large quilt. I put a pin every 6" or so... sometimes closer. This method gives you very sore fingers. There is a tool available in the quilt stores (wooden) that helps. I have not tried it but many of my quilter friends swear by it. I bought one a few weeks ago and will try it next time I baste.
NOW...after it's basted either way...I trim down the batting to 1" larger than the quilt top. Then trim down the backing fabric to an inch larger than the batting. Fold the backing to the front over the batting and baste in place. (I learned this last night at a lecture and it makes sense). The edge is protected from wear by doing this. No matter which way you baste, I would hand baste a stitch around the edge of the quilt top, just 1/8 from the quilt top edge. This will help keep everything square and neat.
If you want to try machine quilting here's a video online to start:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGsGxY7V920
This is a very basic video but it's a great place to start. Stitching in the ditch and outline stitching are great ways to quilt your first quilt. I machine quilted many quilts this way until I learned to do free motion quilting (which I LOVE).
Hope this gets you started!
We love questions here, so ask if you have more! Oh, and come join us on a block/fabric swap...
Deb

Hi, Maria, to BC!

May you make many quilts and many friends here!

Some good advice posted alreday. I have only been quilting for about three years. I mostly machine quilt on my regular sewing machine and I do not use a frame. I use my walking foot a lot and I am starting to use my darning foot, too. I am self-taught and found it a bit daunting at first, but I am getting better all the time. It is such a wonderful feeling to finish that last stitch in the binding and turn it over and see your completed quilt for the first time!