For doing straight quilting a walking foot will help the fabric feed evenly. Otherwise it will pucker! Yes, start from the center and work out for best results. My last quilt was a king size and I did borders in 1", 3" and 6" to make it the size I wanted. The gradual increase looked great. Then the binding was 2.5" before sewing on and folding over. I think it finishes to about 1/2 to 3/4 when done. Have fun and post a picture of your finished quilt!!