Practice Makes Perfect

Are there any techniques that you practice just to get better?  Each time you make something that is no doubt practice but what I mean is sitting down at the machine and trying to perfect a certain technique typically using a piece of scrap fabric.  When I first started sewing I drew lines and curves on fabric and sat there and practiced sewing straight and curved lines.  Beyond that though there was nothing outside of my projects that I have done.  Shame on me probably.

I was recently reading a sewing book and it showed another way to gather your fabric so I sat down and practiced it a couple times to see if it was a technique I would prefer to use.  I am still undecided but I can tell you that doing it was 100 times better than just reading it and moving on.

None of my patterns have called for a blind hem but I know I will come across having to do it soon enough.  I took out my machine owners manual and worked through doing a blind hem.  After doing it a few times I realized I was doing it backwards so I need to go back and practice the right way now.  At least I can say I have attempted it and not just read about it.

In the future I would like to get practice some of the different seam finishing techniques, using bias tape (whichI really need practice at), and also making my own bias tape.

Do you "practice" your sewing outside of the projects you make?