Just thought I'd share this in case there are others like me. I am piecing on an old machine that doesn't have a straight stitch needle plate so many of the points on my clue #3 were being chewed up whether I chain pieced or not. Finally, it dawned on me that I didn't have to feed the pieces in point first. I know! Started feeding the pieces in from the long side of the rectangle and problem solved. Pretty obvious, but it felt like such a discovery for me!
