Can U help answer this: putting a border strip on a quilt?

I cut mine a little longer than necessary. Then I use a rotary cutter and mat to remove the excess in a straight line. Also, if you are getting bulging it may be due to stretching of the fabric. As you are sewing, the part not being stitched should either be folded behind the machine on the table, or folded in your lap in an accordion shape. This way it is not hanging down which can stretch out your fabric making the quilt bulge or curve, or putting stress on the thread possibly causing it to break. I am not being a smart aleck when I suggest this, Go to your local library and look up quilting. There are tons of books with useful tips on all sorts of techniques. I love the Singer book on machine quilting! Also, Yahoo! has a chat room called textiles which is sewing and other fabric crafts. The folks in there can often be very helpful with questions. Good luck!!!