Well, I suppose it would help some to have others select the fabric but I think if a person is making a quilt, it's fun to find your own fabric either in quilt stores or online. And maybe the CD would be helpful but I found that
http://thatquilt.blogspot.com/ gives instruction in such detail that a person wouldn't need a CD to learn paper piecing.
To each his/her own, I guess. I did mine the way I wanted to by buying the book, a few measurement tools for sizing, the fabric and joined an online forum to ask questions if I was unsure of something in the construction.
I love my quilt but I would never have completed it if I had had to pay a lot of money all at once for a kit or if I had had to wait every month for block instructions. One block at a time and it's done!!