Sounds like you are a fighter, a person who looks for solutions instead of for excuses. We're here, we'll encourage you. Don't worry about straight seams in these quilts. Your son and your daughter and their families want a quilt that came "straight" from your heart! That is all the straight they need! They will love them forever!
I have found that piecing takes as long as it takes. Some projects are more fun than others. I like big blocks in the quilts I make - they seem to go faster.