Sewing Basics: Making and Applying Bias Tape
I May Be Biased
Now that we have our master seamstress on the team, we have been able to expand our sewing and knitting section with so many great projects. With our first knitting post, which was on a garter stitch pillow, we did a series of videos on some basic stitches in knitting to add to our photo tutorials. Now we are doing something similar with our sewing projects. This post is all about introducing some sewing basics that will apply to lots of projects in the future. You can also reference these tutorials for making and applying bias tape for your own sewing projects too!
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The bias of a piece of fabric is a folded part of the fabric that is diagonal to the grain. Making a bias will give the fabric more stretch and make it easier to work with. Bias tape is usually used to finish the edge of a seam on quilts and clothing garments. It is kind of like a framed edging for your sewing projects. You can also use it as a decorative accent, such as adding bias tape to create piping on a dress. Pre-made bias tape is widely available to buy in fabric stores, but applying bias tape that you made yourself can give you much more flexibility. It is super easy to make your own bias tape, especially if you have a rotary cutter. The benefit of making your own bias tape is that you can make it the exact width that you need for your specific project. You can also choose your own colors and patterns that you like for your custom bias tape.
Follow our handy step-by-step photo tutorials below to learn the process of making and applying bias tape! Members can also download our printable instructions linked below. I will be linking to this post for lots of projects in the future, so look out for that! Coming up first will be tutorials for sewing a make-up brush case as well as a set of pot holders. Browse all of our fiber arts projects and then follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to see the latest and greatest! And as always, feel free to write in with suggestions for projects and printables. Cheers! ~ Lia 
Tools
- Sewing Machine
- Scissors
- Rotary Cutter
- Ruler
- Pins
- Sewing Needle
Materials
- Favorite Fabric
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Discussion
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3 Comments
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Kerstin
July 8, 2016 at 12:01am
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Lia
July 15, 2016 at 3:38pm
@Kerstin
Back to the Topfor those who prefer attaching the second /reverse side of the bias by sewing machine instead of handstitching (picture 12 – 14) : use a small zigzag and a middle stitch length (scale 1 to 5 on your machine : width 2, length 3). The left stitch should be directly on the fold of the bias. Stop your machine at the corners: needle down, foot up and turn your project 90°. Then foot down, needle up and sew the next edge. Start and finish your sewing with 3 to 5 stitches on the same place – it looks better than fixing the thread by sewing forward and back.
Thanks Kerstin 🙂