Last year I used no kits, only my stash fabric, and a few cuts to help it out.
You just need to follow the directions of making the row. You can choose any colors or types of fabric.
I tried really hard to get my rows to be the exact length, thinking they would measure exactly to make sure I did them correctly....they didn't. They just ooo'ed and ahhhh'ed over my quilt, and I allowed them to display it for about a month.
This year I'm doing the same, from my stash. I did break down and buy one kit, it was inexpensive and really cute.
Teri