Don't be discouraged! I too am mostly self-taught. I learned a lot from watching Fons and Porter on PBS. Check PBS online for local listings. I press my seams open and this works better for me. I was always taught to press my seams to one side (the darker side). But this was confusing for me. I learned that Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle of FunQuilts press their seams open. So I started doing mine that way. As I said, it works for me!