There is a wonderful shop in Sycamore, IL called Paper Pieces and they die cut any piece you could possibly need. I am in the process of doing 600 for a Grandmother's Garden quilt. I put the fabric on the paper piece at a rate of about 50 at a time and then sew them. Last night, until just after midnight, I pinned the last ones to the fabric. Today I will trim the fabric to the 1/4 inch seam allowance and then over the weekend I will begin to baste the remainder of the "petals." I find that if I do it in stages I don't get bored doing the same step over and over thereby eliminating the inevitable mistakes that come from repetition.
I didn't think I would like the hand sewing prep, but I find it very relaxing and am very pleased with the pile of pieces that is growing in my sewing basket.