It depends on how much time and money you want to spend making the quilt. It might take you a whole day to pick out fabrics from your stash and get them all cut yourself. How much is your time worth? The pre-cut layer cakes will save you a whole bunch of time if you have the money to splurge. There are approximately 2-2/3 yards of fabric in a 42 piece layer cake. You can find them on sale :-)