Rose Bagwell

I also use muslin squares or that thin batiste cotton material used nightgowns, etc. I have also used old flat sheets bought at thrift store. Just cut your blocks about 1/2 inch larger than what you want as you will do some trimming after blocks are constructed. I have used 10 inch up to 15 inch blocks. You can also play with the arrangement of the blocks. I start with strip diagonal in center and then add to left and right . As for your strips anywhere from 1 1/2 inch to 2 inches . Have fun and enjoy.

tessagin

You could use tissue paper. Cheap and easy to tear off. You can get it in white. Also brown paper bags!

tessagin

I also use old copy paper that jammed in my printer. You can get inexpensive copy paper in packs of 500 sheets for a few bucks or less with a coupon

FroggyinTexas

Others have given you great advice but I still want to add my 2 cents since this is one of my favorite quilts. Choose your block size--I like 14 and 16 inch blocks--and cut the least expensive muslin you can find into blocks that size. If you want to make rectangles that's OK, it's just that I like squares better. Since you describe yourself as more orderly than scrappy, you might want to choose one of your fabrics to use as the center of each square. Cut strips 2 and 1/2 inches or 3 inches wide and lay the one you want for the center diagonally, from an upper corner to the opposite lower corner, right side up. If you are going to be orderly, choose a strip from the next pile, lay it face down on the first strip and sew it down, 1/4 inch seam is fine and if you get off a little, it won't matter much if the seam is straight and not wavy. Press that strip down, pick up the next strip and repeat until you get to the side of the block. Turn your foudation around and repeat the process and lo!~ you will have a block. It will likely need to be squared to 13 and 1/2 or 15 and 1/2. Make as many of those as you want, decide how you want to arrange them--there are a jillion ways, sew them together and you have a quilt that will need a back but no batting unless you really want one. It will need to be quilted or tied and bound.

Strip quilts are such great fun, can lie across the back of a recliner or a couch or cover a bed or be folded up for the dog to nap on! And wonderful for scrappers. It is almost impossible to mess up a strip quilt. If you lay your strips out in order, you can sort of, maybe, keep them in order. froggyintexas

misseva

The only draw back to using large pieces of paper for your squares is you can't use all your small scraps. If you start out with a 3 or 6" block you would be surprised at how small a scrap you can use up.

1screech

You can just sew the strips together and starch heavily before you trim to size. The starch stabilizes the fabric to hold you're squares shape. Then you don't have to worry about the muslin or rip paper. I did this with all kinds of scraps and it was delightfully fun!