Hi Scooter,
Elbows on your strips, huh? Not a fun thing to have, but not usually fatal. One option if you are strip piecing, and the pieces are short, is piece till you get where it starts to bow. Then cut the part out that 'elbows' out. There are other uses for that 5-6" of material. That is for after you find out that the darn strip has an elbow in it. And if that one does, you can be pretty certain that the one before has a little less elbow, but it is still there.
What I do is this. After I cut maybe 4 strips, I refold the fabric and try to straighten the cut edge. If I can't, I know I have elbows on the strips. Recut the excess to straighten the edge and start over. If you do this over the course of cutting out the quilt, you shouldn't have a whole lot of problems.
As to tearing: I would say don't do it. Tearing usually pulls threads in strange ways, and you end up with a portion of that lovely rose that you really wanted to center in a block elsewhere else in the block. Tearing distorts the fabric. It is best to cut with a rotary cutter.
I have been quilting for about 20 years. My very first quilt was torn into strips per the instructions in whatever magazine I had. My second quilt was torn also, per Eleanor Burns in her log cabin book, and I wasn't happy with the flower colors migrating into the navy blue. I bought a mat and cutter and haven't looked back.
Good luck.
Peace,
Anita