I've used both the strip or pre cutting methods and like both but the strip method does go pretty fast. I find that the blocks tend to get out of wack after a few rounds so I press and square up after there are about 2 complete rows all around, then again after another 2 complete rows, etc. Since I'm not the most accurate sewer I cut the last 2 strips a bit wider to take care of any blocks that may be a little smaller than needed.