Start by finding the Summer Triangle, which consists of the three of the brightest stars in the sky--Vega, Deneb, and Altair. The Summer Triangle is high overhead throughout the summer, and it sinks lower in the west as fall progresses.
Look inside the Summer Triangle, to the north of Altair, to find the small constellation Sagitta, the arrow. Its four brightest stars do indeed form the shape of an arrow.
From Gamma Sagittae, the star that forms the tip of the arrow, move your telescope 3 degrees to the north to find Messier 27, as shown in the chart below.
