I do the same as you. I really like to cut 2.5" strips because there are so many jelly roll patterns now, that it's easy to find scrappy patterns. If you take a light and dark 2.5 strip and sew them together.Then subcut that strip into 2.5" segments. Then sew two together and it becomes a 4-patches. When you put 9 of these together in a 9 patch style it becomes a 12" block. I sometimes take a 4.5" fussy cut square for the center block.