I agree that it is cheaper to cut your own and sometimes better. I have gotten only a few kits (some as gifts). The positives are - you get ALL the fabric that you need (size as well as variety of colors) in one fell swoop! The down side is that because you get "exactly" what you need, there is no margin of error for "stupid" moments (I have had those most often when I use a kit - lol - especially when cutting). If you can get the pattern and all the fabric you might be better off assembling your kit yourself.