I "pretend" to sew the first piece of a new section by using straight pins where the seam line would be...flip it and then if it's right, I don't sew it down until I've done all the other similar sections. That way I can keep seeing the proper way to place it before sewing.
I do this as well. Usually helps immensely. I had the hardest time wrapping my mind around pp'ing simply by reading and trying it out. Finally took a class at my LQS. Was a great investment. I don't do it as frequently as I could but it's no longer intimidating to me. Good for you that you got it worked out.