What is your option if you don't quilt the border? It doesn't seem like leaving it unquilted is an option. Perhaps someone would machine quilt it for you. That would work. It depends on the quilt and its purpose. I still think the border could go quite quickly. Our group did a bed quilt recently. One of the ladies finished half of one side in two and a half hours. She is a faster quilter than I am, but It would take me about eight hours to do one side, with normal breaks.