Sunday 12 July 2015

Make Your Own Bias Binding

Do you find that bias binding is often not quite wide enough for the job you're working on? The solution is to make your own. Here's how:




First you need a piece of lightweight cotton fabric about 1 yard (1 metre) square. Fold the fabric on the diagonal and iron a crisp line on the fold.


Now carefully measure strips that will be joined to make the binding as long as required. The width of the strip will depend on how wide the finished binding is to be. My finished binding is ¾ inch (19 mm) and I'm allowing 5/8 inch (16 mm) total turn-under making my strips 1 3/8 inches (35 mm) wide.

My steel ruler is conveniently just that width so I use it to mark a cutting line.


Cut fabric along marked line.


Open the fabric out and carefully cut along the line you've ironed. Now you have your first bias strip. To add extra length cut another strip, measuring as before. 


The two strips must be joined together so a continuous edge is maintained.


Position the fabric as shown (right sides together) and machine stitch taking care to match edges exactly.


Press seam open and trim 'wings'.


Next comes the tricky bit—pressing the edges evenly so your bias is the same width all the way along. I'm using a template, ¾ inch wide, cut from lightweight card that I can fold both fabric edges over.


Work along the length of the strip pressing as you go. I find it useful to stab pin the edges before ironing.


Now you have a neat strip of bias binding of a more useful size than the commercial variety.


I'm using mine to edge a towelling baby bib. 


Stitch the binding along one fold line with the right side of the garment uppermost.


Turn the binding over the raw edge and stitch (once again right side up) close to the edge of the binding.


The extra width of my binding allows the underside to be caught in when I top stitch. Using the narrow bought binding means I have to open out the folded edge of the bias which looks messy after the first wash (see below), or hand stitch it in place (and who wants to bother with that?).





Making your own bias binding allows you to use any lightweight cotton fabric, in any pattern that takes your fancy.

No comments:

Post a Comment