Eliminating the WAVE in borders

When you take a quilt class the teacher concentrates on teaching you the technique to make the blocks then sends you home to complete the quilt top. Patterns and books seem to major on the construction of the blocks and minor on the importance of piecing and applying borders. Oh sure, they tell you to measure, but they don't tell you why...and isn't it much easier to just sew on a strip then cut it off when you run out of quilt top? Sure it is, I've done this, more times than I'd like to admit.

The problem with this sort of construction is the undesirable end result, especially if your quilt top is going to be put on a frame to be quilted. These so called "wavy borders" will result in pleats when it's quilted.

Here's a photo journey of a quilt with wavy borders and how these borders were removed and repaired. The end results were more pleasing. Follow the steps to assure that your borders are not wavy and your top will lay flat when placed on the quilt frame.

When laid flat on the floor the waves became apparent. The solution, remove the borders and begin again. Once removed, it's like starting from scratch, so from this point on these instructions are how to attach borders. 

First, take the center measurement of the width of the top. Using that number, cut the top and bottom border to that length The quilt top may have some fullness in it, if necessary measure in three places and take the average.

Fold the quilt top in half and place a pin to mark the center, then fold in quarters marking with pins.Do the same for the border. Next match the  pins and pin the border to the top, right sides together. There may be fullness as the pieces come together, if so, ease this in at the sewing machine, with the fullness  next to the feed dogs. Attach both the top and bottom border. Press.

Repeat the process by measuring the length of the quilt top then cut the side borders to this number.Cut the borders to the measurement, mark the center with a pin and then find the quarter marks as described above. Pin the border to the quilt top, right sides together. Sew, easing in any fullness. Do this for both sides. Press and ta-da, you now have borders that make a square frame for your quilt top! There may be some slight fullness in the center, but this will usually quilt out. The important thing is your borders will be square and therefore your quilt should be square too!