Thursday Tip with Hali - How to make continuous bias tape
Thursday Tip // How to make Continuous Bias Tape
There are many methods out there for how to make continuous bias tape binding in a few simple steps. This is by far our favourite method and it only uses a square of fabric!
No more wasteful diagonal cuts, hooray!
Making bias tape in this way means you don’t have to do it very often which is an even bigger bonus. Katherine teaches this method in our Seam Finishes class and she says it’s just the best way, by far! If you are interested in perfecting this bias tape method or other professional seam finishes but you prefer in-person instruction and hands on help, check out our Seam Finishes class here.
Note: In this video we show you how to make continuous bias tape with a 10” square of fabric. The fabric used is a light yellow, blue and green floral cotton lawn. There is no audio other than some peppy background music throughout. The instructions below are duplicated in short form text as each step is introduced in the video.
How to make continuous bias tape:
Cut a square of fabric to whatever size you want. Here we are using a 10” square which will make approximately 92” of 1 inch wide bias tape. If you want narrower or wider bias tape the amount of tape you end up with will differ depending on which width you choose and how big a square you cut; it might just take some trial and error or some clever math.
Mark the top and bottom edges of your square with an “X” and the sides with an “O”. This will help line up the proper edges in the next steps. Use whatever markings you like, 1 & 2, A & B, your first and last initials, etc.
Carefully mark and/or cut a diagonal line on your fabric square from bottom left to top right of the square (45 degree angle). You will now have two equal triangles.
Line up the sides marked “X”, right sides together, offsetting the fabric at the overlapping corners ¼” for the seam allowance.
Sew the “X” sides together with a ¼” seam allowance.
Press the seam open.
Mark (don’t cut yet!) lines along the longer side of your fabric piece. You can mark on the right side or wrong side, it’s up to you. These lines will later be cut so you won’t see them on the finished bias tape and if you do they will be enclosed when you sew the bias tape onto a garment. (Side note: I tried using a pink washable marker for my lines so it would show up well in the video and quickly decided it would bleed through too much so that is why there is a noticeable pink dash at the start of the video clip where I begin drawing my lines. I ended up using a fine tip pen and that showed up alright and didn’t bleed).
Once your lines are marked, find the “O” sides and put them right sides together (RST). However, instead of lining up the long lines you just drew, evenly, they need to be offset by one space plus ¼” for seam allowance. So when held RST the lines you drew will look like they cross each other instead of meeting up exactly. This is correct. Once you sew it together they will match up perfectly. Pin the edges together.
Sew the edges together with a ¼” seam allowance.
Carefully press the seam open.
Cut along the continuous line to make a whole pile of bias tape!
As an added step you could use a bias tape maker or a pin placed on your ironing board to make single or double folded bias tape. I like to store my bias tape finished or unfinished on an empty spool of thread.
Have you made your own continuous bias tape? Let us know in the comments or if you try this one!