learning a new skill

As a quilter, I thought it was about time I learned to do things they way they used to be done. So I have started teaching myself hand piecing, when the project is done I will hand quilt it. Expect to see a finished picture sometime in 2020...LMAO!
Of course first I have to decide what to make, I have several options but haven't made the decision yet. The block shown in the picture is just practice and is my first attempt.Not really an earth shattering event here, many folks piece by hand, but I haven't so thought I would share my journey as I begin to do what women many years ago did when they first learned to quilt :-)
Below is my block, a simple 4 patch.


And here is a view of the back, stitches are pretty even I think and I actually get almost 9 to an inch, which I think is good. Didn't take as long as I thought to do this, the worse part was marking the lines and all. I even learned a new way to tie the knot at the end of the thread when first threading the needle! So much easier to do than the way I used to do it..lol