Originally Posted by
bjchad
I know there are going to be people who get the horrors when I say this but if it were me I would tear the strips. It's pretty much the only way to ensure the strip is straight and on grain.
This is what I would do as well. Probably about 1/2 inch wider than desired finished width. Scootch the extra threads on both sides out with a pin/seam ripper to get to desired width and then press. It can be a tedious process getting the extra threads off the sides but you know your fabric will truly be on grain that way. And you've given yourself enough of a buffer with the extra 1/2" to be able to get to your correct width and not have nasty edges.