I read on a recent post that the Bali Pops are hand cut (not die cut), which would explain the variance. Someone suggested putting a piece of tape on the left side of the needle at the 2-1/4" mark and line the strip up to that. The seam allowance would be a little smaller, but finished size correct. Variance in the width is normal among all fabrics I've used, even from the same manufacturer. I rarely put 2 together that are the same width from selvege to selvege.