I seem to be able to make any border difficult, it's a gift.  I wanted that madder fabric to form a complete diamond around the centre, but that meant either piecing another complete row around the whole thing, (not going to happen) or extending the madder square into the border.

I added the gold strips to the outside of each quarter, then pieced the single strips of squares that would join the quarters, with the madder square joining the gold strips.

 Four quarters finished, just that centre strip of squares to add.

Once that was done it was a simple matter to add the two outer borders, and my top was done!

Yay!!

GypsyQuilter sent this link to a TATW pattern made using the tube method; it would be a great way to put the design together in the least amount of time.  I quite enjoyed my bumbling approach, one fabric at a time, but it wasn't the fastest way to work.  And I have a serious mountain of leftovers.  Maybe I'll throw together a Scrappy Bargello from Bonnie's site, or a Scrappy Trips; both are a fun way to use up a pile of strips quickly.