I know, I know, you can buy bias tape (known in the UK and bias binding) but when you do that, you are limited to the colours and patterns that the manufacturer decides. What if you want to match your binding perfectly to a project?
The answer is to make your own bias tape. The good news is that it could not be easier to make and you get great value – a Fat Quarter of fabric yields more than seven and a half yards!
I find myself using bias tape a lot on my bags – bound linings for example which you can find here
And my favourite pouches which you can see here
And here all use bias tape.
So why bias tape? Surely you would get better value if you cut on the straight grain of the fabric? Well straight binding is a thing and great for accents like the tops of pockets but bias tape is so called because it is cut on the diagonal or bias grain. This means that it will fit around curves without puckering.
A curved base to a bag or pouch for example, means no mitring of the corer. It is so easy to sew that you will be an instant convert. So what do we need to make bias tape from scratch?
- Let’s start with a Fat Quarter of any fabric. I am using canvas in this post which, although normally a champion frayer, doesn’t fray nearly as much because of the bias cut.
- a ruler
- a rotary cutter
- a cutting mat
- your sewing machine
- a Bias Tape Maker. Clover mfg make a great range of these and they are a worthwhile addition to your sewing kit so remember to add them to the Christmas list. I am going to show you my method on the Clover blue one.
To begin with, press the FQ and cut your fabric in to strips 1 1/2″ wide on the bias. There will be some little bits left over on the sides which are too small to be of use – they go into the scrap box for the next make. Do pardon my very well- used cutting mat and ruler that I can hardly read anymore!
Now these strips need to be joined into one long piece before we can use them so we place the ends together like this with the right sides together
Notice that there are little triangles sticking out on both sides about 1/4″? They are very necessary to get the tape to join in a nice straight line
Now sew right across. It actually helps to shorten your machine stitch just a little bit
Open the seam out and press. You can cut the little triangles off now too
Keep joining this until you have a nice long piece of tape. The pattern will tell you how much you need.
Finally, to get the folds, run it through the tape maker. There are excellent instructions on the packaging for this little wonder so I won’t try to re- invent the wheel here. Simply run the tape through the maker and press as it emerges
As you can see, there are many sizes of these makers and it is really worth investing in the widths that you use most often.
Roll the tape and it is ready to use.
Now speaking of using, how do we put it on? I like to attach the first side by machine and then finish on the back with some tiny hand stitches. This is both strong and very neat.
Because we are talking about making bags and pouches, I am going to concentrate on the method used for that. I have been making a fabric basket and this make (one of the variations of my Seville Trug in Three Sizes, pictured below which you can get here) has just this circumstance. The beginnings and ends are very visible and need to be as perfect as possible
Well the good news is that they are not difficult either. To begin with, trim the end of the tape flat
Then fold the trimmed end over by about 1/2″ and add a sparing spot of fabric glue to hold it in place. Judicious and sparing use of glue in sewing is a great hack. Just remember, use only enough to do the job- less is definitely more!
Your binding is ready to use. Clip it to the area to be bound so that it is about 1/4″ over the end of the raw edge (remember to open the tape out and have the right side together with the right side on the actual project). As I mentioned, I am assuming a use on a bag or similar here…
For a lightly different view
When you have clipped all the way along, sew using the first fold as a guide
When you get to the other end, allow about 1″ extra overhang and cut the excess off. This assumes that you have enough overhang and, if you are a beginner, I would always recommend having more than you need until you get your eye in. Simply stop sewing but leave the needle down when you get to about 2″ from the end
So while you are stationary, fold the end over and finger press it so that it is the same length as the starting end (a scant 1/4″ over). Glue lightly and hold the end between your fingers for a short while. The warmth from your fingers will set the glue. Then resume sewing and backstitch at the end
You can see in the photo below that the tape end is just slightly higher than the edge of the project. The reason will become apparent in the hand sewing steps. by the way, it is worth mentioning here, don’t try to do both ends at once. The advantage of bias tape is that it stretches. The disadvantage of bias tape is that it stretches. Depending on the fabric used, this can be quite a lot which will make your ‘other end’ completely wrong. Frustrating if you have glued. Do the ends one at a time.
Time to hand sew! Don’t be afraid of this. It is easy and relaxing and an absolutely essential skill for getting things perfect.
Fold the tape over so that the raw edge on the other side of the tape is hidden
And clip right along to keep everything in place
You can see in this picture that the end sticks up a little way. It should be just right to sew over that thick seam (interfacing and all) and be neat. That is why we allowed about 1/4″ before we sewed. It is a scant 1/4″ but there has to be enough (as a rule of thumb) to reach halfway across the seam being bound. The thicker that seam, the more overhang. But you don’t want too much either. Practice makes perfect!
Sew the top end first
Then proceed right along until you get to the other end
Finish by sewing the other end as you did the first
Sometimes the end will be a zipper (as in my Easy-Peasy Pencil Pouch) and sometimes just a regular raw edge like the Seville Trug set. It makes no difference at all. The tape has to be closed over the end as neatly as possible and this is why we have that little bit of overhang. It gives us a little bit of room to finish the job.
And that is it! As I said, easy to make and cost effective too. Worth its weight in terms of style too. You can match things perfectly!
The little pencil case and children’s backpack with the British guards on is from my new Southampton School Set which is coming soon to my shop (link coming soon). This set uses binding on the pencil case and also around the flap.
And it all suits the lining perfectly because I got to choose the fabric for the lining and the binding. Do give it a go and let me know how you get on? Do you think that it is worthwhile?
Till next time
Hugs and happy sewing!
Debbie xx