I just sewed mine together without any paper or muslin. I don't think I had any strips that were less than 1-1/2". I didn't have any problems. I have had a problem with another type of quilt that was a triangle with a large base that stretched so I do starch my material now. I sew by hand so it is probably different than sewing on the machine.

I save tissue paper like you get with shoe boxes and tissue paper by the package is cheap. I 20x30" sheet will give you 6 10" layer cake slices. I save all my tissue paper. And I usually tear the paper off after I have the sheet filled. It's one of those things you can do at the computer or in front of the tv.

I have heard about using Pellon 830 for the foundation. This what I plan to use when I make a string quilt. It is very thin but strong enough.
When I was about 9 or 10 yr old, my mom taught me how to make string blocks by sewing strips onto squares cut from pages of an old Montgomery Ward catalog!

I have backed them with muslin, thin material and phonebook pages. (I don't mind ripping off the paper!) And yes, then add batting and backing and quilt as usual.

I have also used muslin. There is a product out kind of like interfacing. It stays soft and is lightweight. Makes for nice blocks that don't stretch. I oversize the blocks and trim after sewing my strips.

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I made this one using paper from Missouri Star Quilt Company. Didn't mind tearing the paper off... mindless work can be a good thing! :D

I used muslin when doing some small baby quilts. I also used a thin batting. They weren't heavy but they also weren't very large.

I am in the process of making my first string quilt. I make a block a day using paper from MSQC and a very small stitch. The paper comes off easily for me and I have had no distortion.

I plan to start one next year and I plan to use muslin just because I don't want to try to remove all that paper from the back of the block.

I'm glad to hear good reviews on teh papers from MSQC. I bought some last year and haven't tried it yet...