Hi marand, I have also made a few McKenna Ryan quilts (At Home in the Woods, a deer, a wolf, and another wolf) with still some to do. I used Steam-a-Seam II Lite and it worked out very well. However, my friend has just used the so-called "new and improved" version and was not too happy with it. I think she said the pieces would not stay stuck to each other but I have not tried it yet. If the pieces are large, you can "window cut" them instead of having the fusible covering the whole piece of fabric. That method leaves the quilt a bit more pliable/soft. Of course if it is going to be a wall hanging, that does not matter. If you go to Ryan,s website, she tells you how she quilts them and what thread, needle, etc. she uses. It would not hurt to read that page.
http://www.pineneedles.com/Company/help.asp
And as kiffie2413 mentioned, the scissors are very important. These are the ones I use:
http://www.joann.com/premier-no-5-mi...ssors/prd2879/
They are usually readily available so if you live near a JoAnn's, they should be easy to find. They are extremely sharp and seem to stay that way. I now own several pair.
FYI: When I am cutting into small areas of Ryan patterns, I found that by turning the fused fabric pattern instead of the scissors, the cut is so much more accurate and easier to manipulate. Just my opinion of course. I fuse a bunch of the patterns and then can take them with me to guild or sit in front of the TV and cut them out. I have not used a kit but picked out my own fabrics and was still pleased with the results. Good luck and have fun. The quilts/wall hangings turn out so beautifully especially if you are a nature nut like some of us.