Making the HST and the QST, I layer my strips out, the first one facing up then oposite color facing down, to as many layers as you are comfortable with, I then cut my squares, and then do the diagonal cut or cuts depending on if it is QST or HST. THen when they go tot he machine, you just peel the first tow off, they are already matched up (sometimes they need to be a little straightened depending on how they were moved etc) and sew then together. I don't need to draw a center line or stop and cut pieces apart. I then just need to snip them apart as I do them in a long line and then press. I have tried a few other ways and find for me that this is the fasted,