When I began quilting about 13 years ago, I made primarily miniatures simply because they were quick and I could either hand quilt them or machine quilt them on my DSM. I used to get Miniature Quilt magazine as a subscription until they went out of business about 3-4 years ago. You can still find some copies of it on ebay or in used book stores.
Yes, it is a pain to pick all that paper out when you are done, but it does help sharpen your accuracy quite a bit when you can stitch on a line.
When I make a miniature, I remind myself to SLOW DOWN. Speeding only makes your accuracy suffer and picking out stitches is no fun, especially with a foundation.
I use a foundation paper made by That Patchwork Place. I know Carol Doak, an expert on using foundation piecing has some on the market also.
She also has a great DVD out that would be helpful, as well as books on Miniature Quilts.
Another author is Sally Collins who has a DVD out on accuracy and is an expert on making miniatures.
Both of these ladies have websites with much useful info.
Here are some other things I do when making miniatures:
Shorten your stitch length-really short! It will make tearing that paper out lots easier.
Use a thread that is a 50 wt. or 60 wt. like Mettler. When you use a thin thread, it takes up less room in the seam allowance and increasing your accuracy.
When you press, set the seam first by pressing it as it was sown. Then with the seam allowance nearest you, flip back the top piece and finger press with the pad of your finger, not your fingernail. Then press with the iron using an up and down motion.
Hope that helps!