CarolynMT

I generally miter all my borders, ((serious OCD here)), and always cut mine bigger to make the corner. I measure the length of one side, cut/piece the border for that plus extra for the mitering. Then pin from center out. I havent had any trouble with wavy borders, except when I dont miter properly...sigh that makes a mess!

I have cut my border strips too short before by 1 inch or so, those quilts usually end up being scalloped border

mucky

Lay 2 borders across the center of the quilt and cut to size. The fabric clings to,the quilt and you don't have any slppery measuring tape to contend with. Then pin to quilt matching centers, etc.

rebeljane

I had the same problem once and always measure the middle now.

citruscountyquilter

I always measure the center down the length of the quilt and use that number to cut my side border strips. The sides of a quilt have a tendency to stretch some from piecing and handling so the center is a truer number. After I sew the side strips on I measure across the center from side to side and use that for my top and bottom boarders. When I sew the border on I match up the center of the quilt edge with the center of the boarder and also match the quarter way points as well. This way whatever easing needs to be done to match the quilt with the boarder can be done as you go along. I never have wavy borders and when my quilt is done it hangs and folds straight. You can also take several measurements and average them together.

twinkie

I usually sew it on and trim and haven't had a problem with wavy borders. Maybe I am just lucky.

sewbelle52

This is the way I was taught also. I've been told it is THE BEST way to prevent wavy borders. Believe you me, after a couple of waves from an OCD person, I had to find the right way to do this!!

solstice3

I do what you do on baby blankets but when it comes to the bigger ones I measure the ends, middle and between middle and end, take the average and sew

candi

I think the answer to your question depends on how accurately your quilt is pieced before you add the borders. Is it even already? If so and you just cut your strips, sew them accurately and trim, it shouldn't be a problem. But if you are like me, somehow my center almost always is about a quarter inch smaller- have no eartly idea why lol. So I cut strips lOnger than I think I need and then smooth my quilt flat and lay that strip down the middle and cut to size. Then Do the same thing for the top and bottom after adding the sides. I learned this from Bonnie Hunter and now I almost always end up with a truly squared quilt lol. I never had wavy borders per we using the method you describe but definitely my quilts weren't all even which depends on the purpose of the quilt, a quarter inch difference won't be that noticeable anyway unless you are folding the quilt hehe.

lswan

I try to make my quilt as square as possible, and then pick the same measurement for both sides. I cut the border fabric slightly larger (1/2"), but mark the true measurement on the border piece. Then, using Elmer's washable school glue, I put glue on the quilt edge, place the border on it to fit exactly to the mark, and iron the edge setting the glue. That way, no pins are shifting, the borders aren't pulling away, etc. I trim the 1/2" or so off after I sew and press. That little bit gives me an edge to pull on to make sure the border is fit to the right size. I always wash my quilts after sewing, and the glue washes out. This way, I do not get any waves on the edges, making it easy to quilt all the way to the edges. I quilt quite heavily on my vintage Singer 301 and I have smooth results this way. I don't know the science of this, but that it consistently works. Hope it helps. I also glue my bindings like in Sharon Schamber's youtube video Binding the Angel.
Linda

quilterpurpledog

Careful measuring is a key component of making a square or rectangular quilt really square or rectangular. Never measure for borders on the edge of the quilt. Measure in more than one place. I actually like to measure at the previous seam line because it is stable at that point. Then I cut and fit (pin) the border in place by finding the center and quarter points of the quilt and the border and pin in place before sewing. Make sure that the parallel sides are alike or the quilt will hang crooked. On most machines the bottom layer will pull through the feed dogs at a slightly different amount than the top layer-giving a larger perimeter. This small, but significant, increase will be magnified if there are several borders. Another tip for keeping this increasing lower layer creep is to use a walking foot to sew the borders onto the quilt-it allows the fabric pieces to feed evenly through the machine.