OMG!! I learned the lesson of "go up one side and down the other" really soon when I started quilting! The only course for quilting was an advanced one, which I took. (I didn't know ANYTHING about quilting or sewing for that matter. When we were instructed to put the strips together, I rapidly sewed all of the strips starting from one direction!!!OMG!!! Talk about RIPPLES!!! Luckily, I swallowed my pride and took the thing to class! What laughter I got! Such a simple explanation but I will NEVER forget to sew