if you just sew small strips of fabric together in a long strip, you more than likely won't be able to keep them straight and you will end up with a very wonky strip. The paper is a stailizer for small pieces but also keeps you straight. Use smaller than normal stitches when sewing and then if need be you can run a seam ripper along the seams to make it easier to tear the paper off. I have also found rolls of fax paper that you can find in second hand stores, as most fax machines no longer use it, a great thing to use in designing borders. Just cut to the length of your border and fold in half, quarters, etc to design your borders in equal sections