I usually cut the binding selvedge to selvedge. Depending on the thickness of the quilt with the batting I usually cut the binding 2 1/4 inch wide. Prefer a narrower finished binding. For those quilters with iphones, there is an app that you can put on your phones and figures out the equations for binding, backing, how much fabric you will need if you know the size and number of sq you need for a quilt. The app in Robert Kaufmann. I just typed in quilt in the search. Installed it and love the convenience of having it with me at all times.