Early on when I first learned to quilt, I decided to add a border to a quilt. It wasn't part of the pattern, I just wanted to make it larger. I had only made a few quilts at that point, but still thought I knew what I was doing. I was confused and disappointed when the border turned out wavy, which caused puckers when I quilted it. I was hesitant to add borders after that because those puckers were so frustrating!
Since then, I've learned how to properly add borders and I almost never have issues anymore. On the occasions where something goes wonky, it's because I get lazy and skip steps. 😂
I know it can be tedious to add borders, especially if you aren't sure that they will turn out right, but it doesn't have to be that way! I can't even remember where I learned this method, but I'm going to teach you so you can get flat, well-fitted borders every time!
Before you start, you have to have your border prepared. Whatever pattern you're making should say how to cut and sew the border into one long strip. Often, a pattern will tell you how long to cut the strips for each side. If your quilt top without the border measures spot on with the pattern, then the instructed lengths should work fine. If your quilt top is slightly larger or smaller than the pattern states, then you'll want to adjust your border lengths accordingly.
First, lay out your quilt nice and flat and measure the length of two opposite sides. Write down or remember which measurement goes to each side. (Ideally, these two numbers would be the same, but nobody's perfect and sometimes they can end up slightly different.) I use a 90" long tape measure because it's long enough for most of my quilts.
Fold one of the measured sides in half. Finger press that halfway mark and then put a pin right in that crease.
Fold that same side over again, so it is now folded in fourths. Finger press the 1/4 way marks and put pins in those creases.
Repeat the folds and pins for the opposite side of the quilt. Set the quilt aside.
Next, lay out the long strip of border fabric. Measure and mark the length of one of the sides you measured for the quilt top. Using a quilting ruler and rotary cutter, trim the border piece to be the correct size. Repeat to get another piece for the opposite side of the quilt.
Fold your border piece in half and in half again, in the same way you did the quilt. Finger press and put pins in at the 1/4 way and halfway marks. Repeat for the other border piece.
Next, lay out the quilt top right side up and place the coordinating border piece right side down on the quilt, lining up the edge. The pins on the quilt and the pins on the border should match up! I like to clip on either side of each of the pin pairs, and the ends first. Then I continue to clip the rest of the border length. *If your border is a directional fabric, pay attention to which way your border is laying!
Starting from the clipped edge, roll up the quilt and then clip on the opposite border in the same manner, being sure to match up those pins. Once both sides are clipped in place, sew them with a 1/4" seam allowance. Press the seams toward the outer edges. If the border ends up a tad long, you can just use a quilting ruler and rotary cutter to square it up. 
Now that you have two opposite borders attached, you will add the remaining two in the same way. These ones will be longer than the first two, so you will measure your borderless sides and cut the border lengths to match these measurements. Repeat all the steps to attach the remaining to borders.
This quilt actually has two borders: a skinny inner one and a wider outer one. In the case of multiple borders, add the first border as in this tutorial, and then repeat the whole process again for the second border.
You may think that this is too much effort or too time consuming. After all, you've made the quilt top and you're ready to be finished! I get it, I am not very patient and sometimes I really just don't want to do the border. BUT, I promise it's not as hard as it sounds and it really doesn't take a whole lot of extra time. It will be worth it and save you the headache of dealing with a wavy and ill-fitting border! You put a lot of time, effort, and love into your quilts, so finish it off with a polished, beautiful border!
 Can't wait to see what you make!
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