I'm doing hexagons now using the paper piecing method by hand. I whip stitch them together, with no more than 3 or 4 hexagons linked before sewing them together. I'm working in circles. I tried it without paper piecing and it was a disaster. Machine stitching was a disaster. Even carefully cutting the fabric and the paper (I use the inserts from magazines) seems to come out slightly uneven, but the paper seems to cut down on the distortion. I am going to post my first flower block on the 1st for the quilto block. Good luck with yours. I think this is one of the most challenging patterns.