Questions on a potato chip quilt
I am making a quilt for a friend in Greece and I decided on the potato chip quilt - its a good stash buster and its colorful. I am going to alternate warm and cool tones, no white or black, and I am going to use the Courthouse Steps pattern, starting with 2.5" x 4.5" strips. I am only going to build the one block, I am not going to create blocks and put them together. The quilt will be about 60" x whatever width it ends up - probably about 70".
The intent is to quilt it using some built in decorative stitches off my Bernina 1230 or my Artista 180 (if it comes back from the shop in good shape..).
So 3 questions -
1. Should I press open my seams so I am not wrestling with bulk when I do the decorative stitching? I do not know how my machines will react to 4 layers.
2. Should I cut all my strips into 4.5" pieces and piece as I go? or cut random lengths and piece what I need to finish the strip? I don't want long blocks of color - I'm afraid it will not balance.
3. Should I do a quilt as you go? I would have to be sure the layers are really basted and rolled tight to fit under my harp (9" on a Babylok Quilters Pro). Not sure if its worth the trouble.
Looking forward to feedback!