Quiltnchik - same thing happened the first time I made a 1600 quilt. I wanted to make a 48" square baby quilt and it was sort of like using variegated yarn, with blotches of colors and often the same fabrics ending up next to each other. I ended up cutting the strips into 48" lengths so that I would have more control. The next two quilts I made I just cut all strips into 48" lengths at the beginning.