I tear about 1/2 yard of fabric off my main piece then starch the 1/2 yard and iron...that way the strips are already pressed when you cut them and they cut much straighter. If you are doing strictly scrappy...I would still starch and iron each strip and then would press seams after each portion of the block...I have found the more you press, press, press and starch, starch, starch...the better the outcome...took me a while but I finally learned this...LOL

At a quilt retreat a couple years ago, each lady received a strip stick covered in flannel as a gift (the cover was made with the seam on the outside so it is easy to slip on and off)...one of the neatest gifts ever. It is a dream to use, too! The stick appears to be made from a dowel cut in half. I haven't been in Home Depot or Lowe's lately but I bet you can find dowels already cut in half lengthwise. The diameter on mine measures slightly over an inch and half.

A couple tips I learned in a class...when pressing long narrow strips together, alternate the direction of pressing each seam...it helps to prevent the curved seams. The other tip is to lift each seam slightly from the ironing board as you press it. It helps to keep the seam open nicely.

Thanks all. I pressed the long strips as advised and they came out rather nice! It was indeed easier to press as a long strip than a bunch of squares.

I'll look into the strip stick.

I - like Jeanne S - press each seam as it is finished.

Susan in Texas

I press each seam as I sew it.

I press each long seam after adding another strip. I press across the strip as opposed to lengthwise along the the seam.
This will make the strip straighter.

When I finish sewing a seam (any seam) I always press