Don't worry how long it takes you, I know that cutting, preparation and the first few pieces going together takes forever until you have some bigger pieces. I know hand quilting seemed to take me forever, and I did quilt square by square so I was able to take the quilting with me. Both my mother, mother-in-law and then my husband all needed to be in the hospital for long periods and went to the clinic for frequent treatments so I quilted all the times when visiting or waiting. I know both mothers had surgery that lasted 8-12 hours so the quilting was a great time killer.