I think I'll try erstan947's idea of making a practice sandwich. I am on a tight budget financially, but a loose budget for time! The quilt is for a very manly man, so I'm going with stark bold things, and I don't think (given the scraps I have) I can make it work with a scrappy binding. Also, the flannel for the backing is shirt weight, and somewhat loosely woven, so I'd be afraid as binding it would wear through pretty quickly - I know this quilt will be in daily use, and not folded neatly on a shelf...
I'll report back when I've tried my various experiments. Won't be for a few weeks, probably.
Alison