I have done one of her small panels and found it really easy. I would go with a kit because her fabric choices are great and I would hate to try and find all the right fabrics, also she uses so many different fabrics, if you had to buy a FQ of all of them it would probably cost you more.
I would use something like MonoPoly by Superior Threads to stitch the applique down, as it would be easier than changing your threads all the time. This is the one I made, I had only been quilting for around 2 years when I did it.
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