As I was cleaning up the Christmas decorations this week, I looked at the Christmas cards and hesitated before throwing them into the recycling bin. Our pioneer quilting relatives would have kept the cards and repurposed them into quilting templates. 
I started the The Circle Game in October. To refresh your memory, the Circle Game is a Jen Kingwell pattern with 16 circles which I am hand piecing. All of the circles are made with templates. Here is a repeat picture of the first 4, and then the next 4 circles.
I have never done any hand piecing before, and not totally sure I am doing it right. Maybe you can tell me if my stitches are close enough or if there is something I should do differently, based on this close-up.. 
This really is back to basics. Here are all the tools I am using. No rotary cutter. No mats. No quilting rulers. No sewing machine. 
I have a whole new appreciation for our quilting history and what our ancestors went through to make their beautiful quilts. There are some benefits – it is easy to take with you, you have a lot less to carry, it is more relaxing, and it is easier to be accurate.
I will keep some of the Christmas cards, but for design ideas not as template material. Fortunately, for us this way of quilting is a choice.
I actually took a hand piecing course, early in my quilting addiction. One tip the instructor gave us is to take a back stitch every few stitches. This is to make the seam more permanent.
I didn’t do any hand piecing, beyond the class. Just didn’t appeal.
That’s a great suggestion. It would make me more comfortable in thinking the seams would stay together long term.
I am actually surprised at how fast the stitching goes. It’s the prep work I am not so fond of.
Your hand stitching looks neat and tidy and I too take a back stitch from time to time to really secure the line. I think this kind of stitching is theraputic and can be done while listening to audiobooks or podcasts. Your circles, with those bright Kaffe fabrics, are gorgeous, I think.
Thank you! Listening to audio books is a great idea. Do you rent them from the library?
You have lovely stitching Judy! Evenly spaced, small and tidy. I usually take a back stitch every few stitches like the others that have commented, but I also take several back stitches at the intersections. I just want to make sure that it doesn’t come apart.
Thanks! Others have shown me a backstitch method but the small running stitch seems to work well and the backstitches seem strong when you have to unpick. Lol.