Bias Tape Basics

Hey ghouls and creeps! In this week’s tips and tricks post I’ll be showing you the basic and the more advanced information that I have learned about bias tape over the years! Some folks may find the concept of bias tape intimidating, but don’t worry! Bias tape is a great way to make your projects look polished and professional! This technique is quite versatile and can be used for a variety of projects. Some of which include quilt binding, seam finishing, and as a way to incorporate contrast in your project. The format for this post will be a little different because I plan to address some of the main questions I’ve seen regarding bias tape. I’ll be revisiting the mug rug project that I posted last October to demonstrate. Let’s get started!

What is bias tape?: Bias tape is a strip of material cut on the bias. Cutting on the bias is to cut forty-five degrees in relation to the warp and weft weaves of the material. When material is cut on the bias this allows for more stretch and provides better drape! These traits come in super handy when you want to finish a curved edge, because unlike binding cut on straight of grain, the bias will lay flat!

What is Single Fold and Double Fold Bias Tape? Single fold bias is most often used for embellishment or as a bias facing. Double fold bias tape is used to wrap around a raw edge, like for a blanket or quilt.

How do you make bias tape?: Fold your fabric in a forty-five degree angle. To do this begin by folding one of the cut ends of the material parallel to the salvage.

Using a transparent ruler, rotary cutter and cutting mat cut your strips parallel to the fold (I cut mine at 2 1/2″ wide, cut yours at 1 1/2″ wide if your folding yours in quarters).

After cutting your strips, square up the strip ends by cutting off the angled tips.

Lay strip ends on top of each other perpendicularly, and seam together corner to corner. Trim away fabric excess leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance.

You’ll then have a continuous strip of bias tape! Press seams open, then fold the strip in half lengthwise with wrong sides together and press(double fold in half bias).

You can also use a bias tape maker to fold the strip into quarters(double fold in quarters bias)!

How do you make bias tape continuous?: Begin by cutting your material into a square. Mark the middle of your square’s sides with chalk or a disappearing ink pen (exempt top and bottom).

Cut the square into two triangles by cutting a diagonal from corner to oppposite corner. Seam two straight of grain sides with a 1/4″ seam allowance creating a trapazoid. Press your seam open with an iron.

On the wrong side of your piece, use a transparent ruler with chalk or a disappearing ink pen to trace your bias strips. Remember it’s 2 1/2″ for the double fold in halves, and 1 1/2″ for double fold in quarters! Once your strips have been marked, match up your lines at the short ends of your trapazoid. This will make the top and bottom edges not match, but that’s okay! Seam the edges togehter with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Starting at the bottom of your fabric tube, use fabric shears to cut along your traced line. Be careful to cut one layer of fabric at a time! Continue cutting, you’ll notice that you’re cutting in a spiral, until your tube becomes a continuous strip on bias tape!

How do you attach bias tape?: Regardless of if you folded your bias tape as a double fold in halves or quarters, unfold one end of the bias tape strip and fold into a forty-five degree angle.

Line the raw edge of the bias tape to the project edge of the front side. Begin to sew the bias tape (1/4″ from the edge) starting in the middle of one of the sides. Sew to the end of the folded over area, and continue to stitch in the ditch if you folded your bias into quarters.

Proceed to your chosen method’s section to see the rest of the attachment steps!

Double Fold in Half Continued: After sewing to the end of the folded over area, lift the presser foot and fold the bias tape in half again. Continue sewing about a 1/2″ away from the folded end. You’ll later stick the other end of the bias inside this opening to conceal all the raw edges!

Sew until you get to a 1/4″ of the corner. Lift the presser foot and fold the bias tape into a forty five degree angle.

Fold the tape back over the angled fold to be parallel with the next side.

From the previous edge, begin sewing the bias tape aligning the raw edges with the edge of your project.

Repeat these steps for the remaining three corners. Once you get to the beginning of your binding, stick the end inside of the opening you created. Stitch accross both ends to secure in place.

Double Fold in Quarters Continued: After sewing to the end of the folded over area, continue to stitch in the ditch until you get to a 1/4″ of the upcoming corner.

Lift the presser foot and fold the bias tape into a forty five degree angle. This will look very similar to the single fold steps!

Fold the tape back over the angled fold to be parallel with the next side.

From the previous edge, begin sewing the bias tape aligning the raw edges with the edge of your project.

Repeat these steps for the remaining three corners. Once you get to the beginning of your binding, cut your bias end so that it overlaps the start of the binding by at least a 1/2″. Stitch accross both binding ends to secure in place!

How do you finish your bound edge?: Fold your bias tape around the raw edge of your project.

The corners may require some extra finessing to get them to fold correctly! I usually begin with pinning one side in place, and then moving on to the other side that makes up the corner, folding the corner excess to make a forty-five degree angle.

Once all sides and corners are pinned, slipstitch the binding to the back.

There it is! Bias tape basics and common questions all addressed in this post! Please let me know below in the comments if there’s anything that I didn’t cover that you would like to know more about!

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Ready for your next project? Here are some tutorials on the blog I think you’ll like! Frame Flip tutorial: https://britnijade.com/frame-flip/, Macrame Wall Hanging: https://britnijade.com/macrame-wall-hanging-w-bones/, or the Spider Web Macrame: https://britnijade.com/spider-web-macrame/. Enjoy!