check out some of these links. you'll soon see that paper piecing is the best way to achieve some pretty neat stuff. AND if you make teeny tiny blocks like yvonne does, pp comes in handy for the standard shapes, too. for me, anyway. the smaller the pieces, the harder it is for me to be really accurate. go figure.
http://piecebynumber.com/pastbom/archbom.htm#pansy
http://www.yvonnes.dk/patternsflowers.htm