I agree. I practice on a scrap with the same fabrics/batting in my quilt, then dive in. One instructor I had for a FMQ class I took said that she leaves a tail on one corner after she has mitered her corners, rather than trim it off. She already has the same fabrics and once she practices on the corner and is in a rhythm, she can just move on to the quilt without having to stop her rhythm to take one out from under the machine and put the quilt in its place and get re-situated. Genius if you ask me.