Thw window you use to cut the freezer paper -is also useful for viewing the fabric - for example - you want a particular flower in the centre of your hexagon...
I hand cut - the old fashioned way - with scissors!! All my fabric hexagons (and card - for that matter!!) I dont like the waste if I cut a strip first!!
Seven years - is Ok - my last completed one took me 15!!! Including quilting!!