Of your three suggestions, I suppose the strips would be most useful to me.

I'm not crazy about pre-cuts. But, I think I could strip piece my way to lots of different patterns without any waste using strips. I love bundles because they all play so well together.

I do buy bundles of fat quarters, especially watercolor batiks, but I don't really like smaller pre-cuts. If someone were to give me a bundle, I suppose the 2.5" strips would be the most useful.

I find them limiting.

I make small projects, baby quilts, bags. To me jelly rolls are like spaghetti in the pot, it's way more than you think! It has taken me YEARS to go through a jelly roll of 2.5" strips and I get sick of them way before I finish them. I can get 2-3 baby quilts from a 10" layer cake and they are versatile if you want bigger pieces or varied cuts, plus you can use the 10" backgrounds for applique blocks. I probably like 5" charm packs best because they can be sewn together as 5" squares and look really cute just as is, twisters, made into a fun tote or placemat or small project, made into HST, cut into 2.5 x 5" for piano keys, or 2.5" for squares.

Moda Bake Shop lists their "recipes" by charm pack, jelly or layer cake (and combos), so if you want some ideas for what you can do with the various packs it's a good resource.

Here is a link that might be useful: Moda Bake Shop

You would have almost endless possibilities if you get the strips and the charm pack! I have those two from Moda's Ruby and can hardly wait to play with them!

The strips are expensive but the charm pack is pretty reasonable so why not get both?

My 'Nickels Quilts' books have made me partial to 5" squares and they make fast pinwheels and 4 patches.

BUT

I cut my scraps to 2&1/5 squares to use for scrappy Irish Chain quilts.

If I was asked which I would like as a gift it would be a tie between the 5" squares & 2&1/2" strips.

The only problem I have is sometimes the charms are not precisely cut and I don't care for the pinked edges.
Rosa

I have bought charms but find I don't uses them
wisely thus making them pretty expensive. I think strips are very expensive unless I have something in mind but they are versatile. I just bought a pack of layer cake blocks because they were oriental prints all different and I do have a plan for them. I do like the idea of 10" blocks (4 charms)because they can be used in different ways but all that said I find it difficult to get precuts without a plan in mind.

I would probably get 10 inch squares, but if possible I'd get the strips, too. You can always make charms from the 10 inch squares.

beverly

First I thought "the 5" charms - definitely!" But then I thought the 10" would be more versatile. I've come to love the Nickel Quilt books using 5" squares - but I could cut nickel squares from the 10" blocks.

Without a pattern in mind, it would be the strips.

SharonG/FL-IN (machineless)

Our Community Outreach committee put forth a challenge to the guild this past year. Kits were made up with 40 2 1/2 strips of fabric. Fabric could be added to what you rec'd and we had from October until May to complete a quilt. They made up 20 kits and all of them were taken the first night. When the quilts came back in they got 25 quilts.....since all of the "Jelly Rolls" had been taken, some people just used their own. The quilts were all different and all different sizes as well.

I would choose 2 1/2 strips for their versatility!

2.5" strips for me definitely! I have made several quilts using jelly rolls/ bali pops-whatever the name --2.5" strips.

I bought some Moda 5" charms while in Lancaster this spring, and then I bought more no name charms at Tuesday Morning. I just can't seem to find what to do with them.

A full collection of 10" squares and a jelly roll would be my pick if even the choice.

I would love to be able to buy FQ bundles, but they are too expensive. Like some of you, I have a hard time using pre-cuts, but not being able to afford the FQs will force me to.

I fell in love with the Batik pre-cuts in the new Connecting Threads catalog! THey have 3 bundles, each with 24 fabrics. a Summer color scheme, a rich & muted, and a light & bright.

So having thought of your suggestions, I went with the 10" squares (I like the idea of cutting them into charms and having 4 of each color) and strips for each bundle. [Don't tell DH!]

I also fell in love with their Mirage blendables. So I did charms and strips for those two color bundles.

Hopefully I can find some functional use for these to make it all worthwhile!