I did a pattern once that was the hardest quilt I ever did, Now I just draft what I see in my mind and wing it from there. The fabric tells me what it wants to be.
I never know what my quilt will look like when its finished, when I start it. Love this method best.

I am an "inside out" kinda of gal . First come the body then when its done I figure out the borders etc. Rarely do I do the opposite , and outside in process. When an "outside in" happens it because I found a fabric that screams "borders " and I then search for the insides of the quilt.
When I first started to make anything other than scrap quilts I tried to pick all the fabrics including the borders ... 99 percent of the time , when it came time to work on the borders I had completely changed my mind .
I love to let myself figure it out as I go ... its got more suspense!

I let the fabric and how it looks when I've put the top together to determine the rest!
They do take on a life of their own and speak to me.

me too.......

I don't know how anyone can plan the borders until they are done. It's like trying to frame a picture before you see all the choice available for you.

Same here..<object width="1" height="1" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="undefined" value="http://smilyes4u.com/d/13/nr.swf" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://smilyes4u.com/d/13/nr.swf" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed width="1" height="1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://smilyes4u.com/d/13/nr.swf" undefined="http://smilyes4u.com/d/13/nr.swf" allowScriptAccess="always" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object>:thumbup:

Yes, that's the fun part, design as I go, never knowing what the quilt will look like til it's done.

I do exactly like you do. I have found that what I thought would work, doesn't. I am working on some purses for gifts but I really need to start the binding on my DG's quilt. My DH and I had decided that the black with white hearts was the best fabric. When I was sewing the purses yesterday, I found white binding fabric with a note that this was the binding for DG's quilt. I guess I thought that was best at the time, but now know it isn't.

Well, I usually do what you do, however, I started a Lone Star and now have decided to think about the border...........NONE of the fabric is available that I want for my "vision"...........:( Next time I buy WAY more than I think I need and have fun with the leftovers....

I do both.... sometimes I plan the border along with the main section..... other times, I do the main section and decide on the border later. One of the things I love about quilting is that you can do what you love and change your mind if you want. No two quilts are the same and we all get to enjoy the process in our own way.