I can only add to all the above...Trust me I shake my head and wish I could reclaim some of my original gift quilts to family members. Everyday I look at things and say "you've so improved" and what helps more for me is the challenge of joining some of the site's swaps because it encourages me to do blocks I've never done before...
I love PP and yes you may want to obtain "Carol Doak" PP DVD that's how I learned...she makes it so easy...
Also what helps me in matching seams and pts is to not use your reg stitch but I do a baste stitch first, see if it matches if it doesn't it's just pulling out the stitch rebaste until you get it and no ripping...If it matches I just sew right over it...SEW SIMPLE...