Disappearing 9-Patch Table Runner - Pt. 1

I'm off to a great start on my First Project.  I chose a nice charm pack in green, blue, and orange with pretty florals.  Here's a picture of my stash:

I'm hand-piecing the quilt top, but hopefully my machine will be ready soon.  I'd like to machine quilt it.

I started by laying out my first block as you can see here:

I ran into one obstacle when piecing the block together...the bright orange square I chose for the center was not cut at right angles.  Of course, I didn't realize it until I pressed it and it was lopsided.  So stitches were removed and I had to play around with lining it up but finally figured out how to deal with it.  Unfortunately, all three squares in this fabric were cut the same so I couldn't just switch it out.

By the time the piecing of the first 9-patch was done, I was on a roll.  I cut the block in quarters and arranged the final block.  Here's the beauty:

As I'm writing this I have the second block finished and the third just needs the final 4 squares sewn back together.  I plan to have the quilt top finished tonight!

What I've learned so far...

1. Just because it's pre-cut does NOT guarantee it's straight.
2. Pressing makes life 100% easier.
3. Aligning the material to sew is harder than it looks.
4. Extra pinning comes in handy when you have a toddler who gets on and off your lap while you sew.

Have any tips to help me out?  What do you think of my fabric choice?  Let me know by leaving a comment below!