Let's get talking: Quiltmaking, your favorite steps

As I was thinking about a topic for this week's chatting point, I kept thinking about all the time I spent in the sewing room since my last post, what I made, and what I liked about it.  I have several projects going at the same time (as I'm sure most of you do), and I tend to jump from project to project, doing what I can when I have time, getting to the more unplesant bits when I know I've got a few hours available to push myself through it... and so, that brings me to this week's topic..

What are your favorite steps of the quiltmaking process?
And which ones don't you like as much?

Please write a post telling us how your mind and emotions work, when it comes to quilting.  What steps do you get excited about, which make you want to up and leave your sewing space?  Perhaps you can make a list, ranking the steps in order from favorite to least favorite, i.e.

1. fabric shopping
2. machine quilting
3. binding
4. choosing a pattern
5. piecing
6. cutting
7. squaring up blocks
8. ironing

(for example, my own ranking would be a bit diffferent).  Feel free to use more steps that I've used, tell us what the process is for you.

As for my quiltmaking.. On the spiderweb I've been working on, I love love love "choosing" scraps to add next to a block, pinning them in place, and chain stitching them down.  The step of removing the pins and ironing I'm indifferent to, but I'll happily do it because it means I can get back to choosing the next round.

I like trimming up the full triangle templates and laying them out to see which ones make pleasing blocks.

I don't like piecing the triangles together into blocks, ironing the seams open, or removing the papers.
I'm not really a fan of cutting out the paper templates, or cutting the kites, but being able to play with my strip stash makes it worth it.. like, as I'm holding the kite template down and rotary cutting a stack of 8 at a time (with a dull blade), cursing when the blade nicks the template, I'm really just looking forward to getting to choose and chain piece some colorful strips, and that makes the dull jobs easier.

Other steps I'd rather skip include squaring up (anything, but esp. HSTs), piecing fabric for backings, and cutting patches (except diamonds, I like cutting diamonds).  Oh, and putting fabric back on the shelves!  that's no fun~

So, which steps are your favorite?  Tell us as much or as little as you'd like, but please post this week!!