You shouldn't be to hard on yourself. Practicing on charity quilts and quilts for my kids is how I got all my practice in. :) I still have to look at the ones my kids still have but, we all have to learn somehow. I do have to say that NOBODY has ever said anything about the quilting that has seen my quilts in person. I think most people don't even look at the quilting, just the fabric itself. Quilters train themselves to look more into detail of what they are doing and we see things that everyone else don't.