I love the idea of using paper towel backing. I buy those in bulk. What would it be like after several washing?

I would think that paper towels would be very linty, no?

The paper towels are removed after I square up the block.

Yes, they are kind of linty when you are working on them but not too bad. I use them because they are the perfect size to get a 10" block.

roll them like a jelly roll for 2 1/2 inch, it works well for that size but for strings which for me is anything that is less than 2/12 inch I lay them flat.

I have seen patterns in magazines for string quilts. That is what I would do. They will give you yardage for sashing and some structure to your project.

Thanks to everyone who posted...good information and great pictures! I sort by width size and if my bin is overwhelmed, then I ziploc bag by color. Just keeping them in bags helps to prevent the tangles. I need to take your suggestion, zozee, to label the "to process" bin!