If the fabric I use is in the quilt body itself, not just in the borders, I cut my border strips first, before I cut any of the rest of the pieces for the quilt body. That way my border pieces can be just one long piece. I cut them lengthwise of the fabric. I usually use 2 or three yards, depending on what size quilt I am making. I use the June Taylor slotted ruler to cut the pieces. Does that make sense?