QuiltE

Not at all ... you put your fabric over the cardstock and fold somewhat in place. I do some long stitches through the cardstock and fabric to get it to hold in place and to get the corners folded in. A lot of people do not do this step, but I find it makes the rest of the process a lot easier, as I am not trying to hold the loose fabric, while stitching two pieces together. Use long stitches in no specific design, so that later you can easily pull them out. But I leave them all in tack until I am finished the whole thing with the first pressing done.

Then I do a short whip stitch of sorts with the two pieces back to back, aligned along one straight edge. In essence, you care catching fabric from the sides of each of the pieces. Next, join in another piece, along a straight edge. When you need to do a y-seam, then you fold your piece to get things lined up and let you get around that corner. And onwards! Clear As Mud??

For your project, I think I would do all of the first step long stitch fabric covers, before I started joining them together. Then lay them out design-wall-like, to be easily accessible as you work. I wouldn't necessarily sew it all round by round. You might find it easier to do a group of pieces, then add them in as a group periodically to the main block. You just kind of get a sense as to what works best as you go along.

As for the tediousness of the hand stitching ... I actually find it quite a relaxing thing to do!! (... that is once I got used to the process)

Good Luck!