It is so much easier to learn anything correctly in the beginning than it is to unlearn and then learn correctly later. If you indicate your "teacher" friend was or is a teacher, she should already know this. Marge, a teacher in retirement.

It is absolutely important! Just like measuring accurately and cutting accurately and pressing accurately. If you want to finish with a 2" square patch, all of those things need to be considered and stressed! It will make the final assembly of a block or a quilt top ever so much less stressful!

Eileen, definitely it is important to start with the idea of the 1/4" importance. It makes it so much easier all the way around. (No unlearning later on).

I have a question about teaching someone to quilt. A friend and I are helping another friend learn to quilt. Whenever I bring up the importance of the 1/4" seam, straight stitching and proper pressing techniques my "teacher" friend lets our "student" friend off the hook saying there's time for that later. My feeling is that if good habits are learned early, bad habits won't have to be unlearned later.
Am I right about this? Am I just being a b#$%h about it?
Thanks for any and all advice here. Your opinions mean a lot to me.