Before I started quilting on the longarm, I quilted large quilts on my DSM using the techniques in Marti Michell's book, Machine Quilting in Sections. One of those methods is quilting the center and borders separately, then attaching the borders. I would recommend getting the book and reading the various ways of attaching the borders because there are some things to consider when you're doing it, and more than one way of doing it. But yes, it can certainly be done.