Here's a pretty basic straightforward instruction page on strip-piecing.
http://www.sewaquilt.com/strip-piecing.html
You can see how you'd sew 3 (or 4) strips together, and then cross-cut to get a multi-patch piece.
So if you make different combinations of those strips sets and do the cross-cuts. Then you can mix and match (we can talk about pressing seam allowances later) without sewing one patch to one patch to another and so on. Way, way quicker.
As for the advantage of the 16 patch - yeah, it's quicker. And that quilt size is so freaking large, those 6 inch blocks are sort of going to get lost on the bed. Try it. Cut a 6 patch of floral fabric and put it on the bed? Does it make any kind of impact.
Since you're working with 2" jelly rolls, you're sort of limited as you can't just change the size of your strips. The only thing you can do is add strips. A 7.5" block is still not huge. Maybe you can do 25 patch blocks (9" finished). Cut up some scraps in those different sizes and see what you like best on the bed.
OK, I really, really have to get back to work. ;-)