I seem to have a lot of trouble getting the finishing border, which I usuall pipe in buttercream, to be consistent, level and not have a "wavy" look to it when I'm finished. I did a cake for my daughter this weekend and things were going relatively well until I broke the stupid topper..but I used extra fondant flowers in a pinch. I stepped back from the cake to take an overall look and immediately noticed my border piping of a little ruffle with a bead on top was wonky, uneven and definitely not level. Does anyone have a tip for making your buttercream borders consistent in size of the pearl and also level around the base of the layer?

practice (of course)--even consistent pressure

create a rhythm for yourself under your breath -- one two three four, one two three four, one two three four, etc.

and the cake underneath has to be iced level

or

you can make up the difference in uneveness by adjusting the pressure when piping the border--more pressure to fill up less pressure to take it down a notch