Quilting newbie-welcome to the addictive world of quilting. I hand quilted my first quilt and found it easier to mark my stitching lines and not worry as much about a precise seam allowance (this was also before rotary cutters). I marked the stitching line with a pencil on the back side of the fabric and then would match up the stitching lines and pin like crazy. My blocks ended up square and neat. Hope this helps some.