Tag Archives: waiting for spring

Check out this tutorial about making your own bias tape! It is a GREAT tutorial. Bias tape is stupid easy to make and yet I NEVER think to do it myself! Ran across this tutorial and am all inspired - in fact, so inspired I ran out and bought a bias-tape maker and whipped up this little bit here!




There are only 2 things (ok - 3 things) I would add to the tutorial (which is amazingly good!) -

First - a fat quarter of fabric makes a generous 5 yards of 2 inch wide bias strip which translates into 1/2 inch double fold bias tape.

Second - USE SPRAY STARCH when you iron the strips. When you iron fabric cut on the bias you are fighting both the warp and weft thread so you have twice as much trying to unfold on you. Ironing along the grain, you are aligning the fold with either the warp or weft so those threads, parallel to the fold, not across it, don't fight the fold, only one set fights. Starch is a wonderful thing for beating fabric into submission.

Third - pay attention when sewing the bias strips together- you sort of zig-zag them, and may have to pick and choose a bit to get the strips to fit together. Not the best activity after a glass of wine!

Check out this tutorial about making your own bias tape! It is a GREAT tutorial. Bias tape is stupid easy to make and yet I NEVER think to do it myself! Ran across this tutorial and am all inspired - in fact, so inspired I ran out and bought a bias-tape maker and whipped up this little bit here!




There are only 2 things (ok - 3 things) I would add to the tutorial (which is amazingly good!) -

First - a fat quarter of fabric makes a generous 5 yards of 2 inch wide bias strip which translates into 1/2 inch double fold bias tape.

Second - USE SPRAY STARCH when you iron the strips. When you iron fabric cut on the bias you are fighting both the warp and weft thread so you have twice as much trying to unfold on you. Ironing along the grain, you are aligning the fold with either the warp or weft so those threads, parallel to the fold, not across it, don't fight the fold, only one set fights. Starch is a wonderful thing for beating fabric into submission.

Third - pay attention when sewing the bias strips together- you sort of zig-zag them, and may have to pick and choose a bit to get the strips to fit together. Not the best activity after a glass of wine!