on your strip cutting issue. thought about saying something, but i knew there would be plenty of responses and ideas offered. but, outside of that discussion thread, i would like to say my thought here, so as not to appear to disagree w anyone. i don't know what your pattern source is for current project, but you might have noticed that sometimes they will show image of the fabric layed out flat ..selvedge to selvedge w the pattern piece strips and border strips shown drawn in as a cutting suggestion. like they do w clothing patterns. that is sorta what i do now. when i took up quilting it was at the beginning of the use of rotary cutters & folding selvedge to selvedge to cut strips. this worked as the cutting mats were right size to accomadate this method. it was not too long that, like you, i notice the "v" in the strips. refolding didn't help. cutting new "straight" only helped for a while. then the "v" was back. wasted a lot of fabric. i don't like waste. plus i need to keep my fun stuff affordable, so, no waste is acceptable. so, i started changing the way that i cut. first off...the length of the fabric doesn't stretch, selvedge to selvedge does. this is the warp & the weft & i can never remember which is which. but for long continuous sash strips, border strips ...where i don't want the fabric to stretch, i cut out on the length of the fabric, along the selvedge edge after i have removed the selvedge. which i do and i know many don't but, selvedge is woven at different thread count than the body of the fabric, ergo, it will draw/shink & wear at different rate. i take it off. great for tying fab bundles, tomatoe plants .. they used to mark quilt pattern piecs w arrows to denote where you should concentrate on the "staight" of grain for this reason..to control stretch in certain areas of the pattern. i decided that w little squares and rectangles i didn't need to worry about that. but where i wanted no warpping with long lengths i would pay attention to grain.

now...the point of this little diatribe is....if you have a pattern that tells you how many strips to cut...& then the subunits to cut the strip into...i open up my fabric and cut along one selvedge edge till i have all that i need. i save the opposite long side for long strips of border cuts. you can piece borders, most do. i don't like the seam lines. it is an esthetic thing w me. if i can't acoid thos pieced borders i will work my quilting to hide or camoflage it. i also have a large table size cutting mat, but i started this routine with the standard cutting mat that most use. i just keep moving the fab to accomadate my cutting needs/plans. tedious, but the resulting acuracy and straightness of strips is worth it to me. i do most things this way. not just my quilting. my mil asked me one time..before i started quilting..."do you ever do anything the easy way?" being a smart mouth w someone who, at the time didn't view me as the dil she would have chosen lollol. i said "no, easy is boring, i like a challenge". :)) ... anyway, we get along much better...after 33years i guess i "grew" on her lollollol...but she recently inspected a miniature quilt i had finished and turned and said..."every thing you do, you do so beautifully." so..w that comment i decided i may do it the more involved way...but the results in the end project show...and for every scrap of fabric i save by not doing "quick & easy" is $$$'s toward more fabric. my end goal :))!! if the other suggestions still leave you w the "v's"...try my method. it is also a much more ecconmical way ro use your fabric. & when you may not have enough of a fabric that is "just" the right one...it evens the odds that you will have enough.

but whatever, have fun! ...and congrates on your success on your first applique project.