Toucanlady, joining a group like this is the best way to learn new techniques. I had never done pp until I joined the Pony Club Quilt group. They encouraged and taught and nagged LOL until now it's my favorite quilting method. You can ask any question and no one thinks it's a silly question. We all like to share our tips and methods to help each other.
PatriciaFaye has a good suggestion about going to QuiltersCache and finding the tutorial. And yes, the first 2 pieces are the trickiest for me, too. I also have a habit of cutting my pieces too small; but I'm learning. Here are 2 of the tips from PC Quilt group that helped me the most:
Crayons: mark each piece of the pp pattern with a crayon in the color you're going to use.
Clips: I use the red Wonder Clips instead of pins. Trying to pin thru paper and fabric tends to skew the seams (and bends the pins). The clips allow everything to lay flat and easily slip off when you sew up to them.
I know you'll get lots of hints--I look forward to learning more from this group.