The way I've seen it done is you make enough strips that when joined are the length of the quilt you want. Sew your strata, then join it into a tube, still sewing the long seam of the strip. press flat. Now cut your strips to the width you want, lay them out by width, then pick out the correct seam to get your colors to run the way you want in the top row. don't know if this makes sense...