Let's Talk Paper Piecing

This week, "The Art of Wild Abandonment" (the online class I'm taking) is focusing on paper piecing and using other texture elements. It's not something I've done a lot of in my art journals, but I found it a lot of fun.  It is also a good way to use up patterned paper, so it fits perfectly into Ali Manning's De-stash Challenge to use patterned paper.  For this page, I paper pieced some quilts which fit three different sides of my personality (my inner country girl, my seaside home, and my urban/rocker chick self). I'm really quite happy with it.
The Wild Abandonment class is co-taught by Christy Tomlinson who I take it does a lot of paper piecing in her "She Art" classes.  She has this very cool video on her blog where she makes a canvas using some of her product line that allows you to skip the paper piecing part of a She-Art canvas. Paper piecing does seem to be coming a bigger and bigger part of paper crafting.
So, let's talk paper piecing.  Do you do it? Do you like it? Hate it?
Is using pre-made paper-pieced products "cheating" or just part of the fun? 
Are punches and quick-cut, sizzix, etc. dies better or worse than cutting things my hand?  
Is it "original" art to use premade shapes? Does it matter?
Do tell.  I'd love to hear your opinions.
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"Let's Talk" is a semi-regular series designed to inspire frank discussion and sharing of information on issues relating to photography, art and blogging.