lalaland said:
Your fingers should never be directly in front of the presser foot or to the left or right of the presser foot (I say this because you can line your fabric up to the left side OR right side of the presser foot, although most people line up to the right side).
I think this is confusing. This sounds kind of like the fabric is to the right of the needle. I think most people sew with the fabric to the left of the needle, and line up on the right side of the needle.
When I put together many rows of squares (pieced or plain), I put the first two rows under the needle with the fabric to the right. The seams are pressed so that the top seam points away from me, and the bottom seam is lying toward me. That way the bottom seam will never flip the wrong way when they nest. I can watch the top seam and make sure it goes under the presser foot without flipping. I put all the rows together like that, two at a time, with the fabric to the right.
Then I put together twos with twos and keep the fabric to the left of the needle. You just keep on adding this way: fours and fours, eights and eights etc. and it will always be to the left. The seam will always go under the needle correctly: the top seam toward you so you can watch it, and the bottom seam facing toward you so it glides under the needle without flipping.