i try to do the same thing as you and it does help. Some people just have better skill levels and abilities then others. I do find that I have been doing better then before as all I wanted to do was cut a pattern and then I would get in a hurry to finish it as I got close to the end. I recently have slowed way down and I am trying to do a better job cutting as well as putting more effort on my finishing too. I still do not take the time needed to perfect any particular skills but only tackle the project at hand. I have wanted to make patterns, especially wood portrait patterns for years. I have made some and I was pretty happy with the ones I did but I still have not taken time to really understand them well. Each time I do try one, it is, starting over from the beginning instead of learning to do the steps automatically. Just me I guess. In this way, I am my own worse enemy. One can not develop a skill by wishing to do so.
Dick
heppnerguy