Edie,I wouldn't worry, it sounds like you have enough fabric. I understand that cutting and tossing 26" long strips can add up no matter the width. so to minimize that, What I'd suggest is that each time you need to cut a patch, cut a strip that width and cut the pieces you need. You might eventually have 5 different sized strips of each fabric. Save what is left of the strip for future blocks. The next block you may need to cut a new strip but maybe you can cut the pieces from the strip left from the last block. Probably few strip sizes will actually be needed. Could be even less if you work with the EASY Angle ruler and Companion Angle ruler. Keeps number of strips down. I explained those rulers in my new book, S is for Scraps.