I have done it both ways. My first ( Avatar pic ) was all done by hand with no paper piecing. I just matched up the two points when not paper pieced then hand sewed. Right now I'm working on a scrappy 1 inch one. As others stated, it sits by my chair and work on it as I watch TV. So both is fine. I will say though, the paper piecing will be easier when it comes to putting the blocks together. But both ways seem to be precise.