Making Bias Tape

Bias Tape.
What is it? What is it used for? What the heck does “bias” mean? And how can you make your own?
Let’s talk about it!
Have you walked by the zippers and threads in your fabric shop and wondered what all those cute packages of solid trim are? They’re bias tape, piping, and quilt bindings.
If you need a solid colored bias tape, the store bought stuff is convenient. But if you haven’t discovered already, it’s also very easy to make you own. And then the options are limitless…..and so much cuter.
With a few tools and an iron, a 1/2 yard of fabric is transformed into 9 yards of double-fold bias tape! It’s even cheaper than the pre-packaged stuff (which is typically 3 yards in length).

You can watch a full video of this tutorial here, or just by pressing the play button below.
Or continue reading for the step-by-step photo instructions.

And when you’re ready to sew it on, jump to our next tutorial: How to Sew Bias Tape. We’ll show you the simple, shortcut method and the proper, never-fail method.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to that aisle in the fabric shop….

Inside all those pretty packages are some interesting trims:
* Bias tape usually comes in solid colors of polyester/cotton blended fabric, is 3 yards in length and varies in width and use.
* Quilt Binding is a fancy name for wide bias tape. It is sometimes made from polyester satin and ranges from 1 to 2 inches wide.
* Piping (sometimes called Welt Cord) is made by sewing rope-like cord inside of bias-cut strips (similar to making bias tape). It’s used as a trim on clothing and for home decor projects.

For this tutorial, however, we’ll focus mainly on Bias Tape. And now that we know what it looks like….what is it?

Bias tape is a type of trim and also a binding. It’s a long, continuous strip of fabric with neatly folded edges, making it ideal for finishing off hems and blankets and for adding a splash of color and contrast.
Bias tape comes in Single Fold or Double fold.
* Single fold is flat, with single edges folded over. It’s often used as a trim and sewn flat just as it is, such as parallel to a hem or with decorative stitching on the top.
* Double fold bias tape is single fold tape that has been folded again in the middle to create a sandwich. Note that the fold is actually slightly off-center, so that one side is wider than the other, by a fraction. This makes it easier to sew with and decreases the chance of sewing on the top of the binding and somehow missing the back of the binding with your stitching. That may sound confusing. Try it out and it will all make sense.
Double fold bias tape is the most common type used (and the kind I sew with most). It typically comes 1/2 inch and 1 inch wide–which is sometimes packaged as “quilt binding”.
Double-fold bias tape has a variety of uses, mostly as a binding over raw edges.
It can be used around arm holes and edges (yellow vest),
as a waistband and around leg holes (the perfect diaper cover).
Bias tape makes a wonderful Quilt Binding (Faux Chenille Blanket).
The leftover scraps come in handy for Scrappy Monster arms and legs.
It can bind handles (Baby Basket),
Carseat covers and canopies,
It neatly finishes-off raw edges (semi-homemade cover),
and makes a simple girl’s summer shirt (summer vacation dress pattern).
If you’re like me, you’ve been using bias tape more often than you’ve realized! So let’s talk about how to make your own. And to do that, let’s first understand what bias means.

Looking at a rectangle of fabric, one edge is the Cut Edge (where it was cut from the big bolt at the fabric shop). The other edge is the Selvage (or Selvedge in British English). This is the finished edge of the fabric, which doesn’t fray, and is often marked with the fabric designer’s name and color printing circle codes.

Both edges create fabric grain lines. The selvage is the lengthwise grain, while the cut edge (when it runs perpendicular to the selvage) is the crosswise grain.
The cut edge and the selvage typically make a 90 degree angle with each other. And the bias cuts a diagonal line in the middle of that, creating a bias grain! It makes a (2) 45 degree angles with the cut edge and the selvage.
When creating bias tape, all the fabric strips are cut on the bias rather than parallel to the fabric’s grain line.

So what’s so great about the bias?
Most woven fabrics (unless they have a bit of spandex blended in) have no stretch. This is the beauty of woven textiles. However, if you try to tug and stretch a piece of woven fabric along the bias, the fabric will give a little bit. It’s not that it “stretches” but it has some “ease” to it. Take a piece of fabric and try it out.

And why are bias-cut strips used for bias tape?
Well, if you’ve tried to ease woven fabric around a curve or created a casing around an armhole, you know that it’s hard to do. Binding tape made from bias-cut fabric eases and forms around curves easier than strips that are cut from the grain line. Another reason: when you cut strips parallel to the grain line or selvage, the binding has a tendency to pucker and doesn’t always lay flat (I’ve tried it). Thus, bias cut strips make the perfect binding or….bias tape.

Okay, still with me?
The background info is behind us now.
Let’s make bias tape!

Gather your fabrics.
* Fabrics with small prints work best since a large print won’t be very obvious on a skinny bias tape.
* You can make 9 yards of 1/2 inch, double-fold bias tape from a 1/2 yard of fabric.
However….
I find that it’s easiest to cut the bias tape from 1 yard of fabric (so you have more surface area to cut longer strips of fabric). But I’ll show you how to do it with 1 yard and a 1/2 yard.

Fabrics to use:
* 100% cotton
* Cotton/Poly blend (I find this easiest to use)
* Satin (or Polyester Satin)
* Knits
* Flannel, Corduroy, and cotton variations
Next, you’ll need a Bias Tape maker. Of course all things can be done the old-fashioned way and you can slowly iron the fabric edges over little by little. But for $3-$15, you can buy niffy tools that simplify the process. And if you’re a real bias tape enthusiast, Simplicity sells an electronic bias tape maker!…but I’ll tell you about that next month.

I have two bias tape makers: 1-inch wide and 2-inch wide. The widest maker available in most shops is a 1-inch. Online I found the 2-inch wide maker. It’s not as cheap as the others ($14) but I love having the wider option.
It’s important to remember that the width printed on the package is for single fold bias tape. So, a 1-inch wide bias tape maker actually makes 1/2 inch wide double-fold bias tape. The 2-inch wide maker will make 1-inch wide double-fold tape, which is great as a quilt binding.

At the back of the maker is where the fabric is inserted. Measure around this opening so you know exactly how wide your fabric strips need to be (2 inches for the 1-inch maker, and 3.75 for the 2-inch maker).
And now, let’s cut bias strips.
There are many ways to cut and sew bias tape. Other methods I’ve seen online involve sewing pieces of fabric together before cutting your strips….but no matter how many times I read the instructions I can’t wrap my brain around it. So, this method feels simplest to me. But each person learns differently. If my method is odd to you, check out these other tutorials on Whipstitch and Prudent Baby.

Bias Tape from 1 yard of fabric:
Okay, as I mentioned above, it’s easiest to get long bias strips from 1/2 yard of fabric that is cut from 1 yard (so that you have more surface area length for each strip). I’ll show you the 1 yard method first.
Fold the Selvage over to the cut edge of the fabric to create a 45 degree, or a bias cut. Cut along that fold with a pair of scissors. And voila, you have a triangle! If you have a super long cutting mat, you can start cutting bias strips now! But since most of us have a small cutting surface, fold the triangle in half, along the bias cut. This will allow you to cut more of the fabric at once on a smaller cutting mat.
And finally, fold the triangle down one more time, along the bias edge. Again the only purpose here is to make the fabric smaller and easier to cut. If you’re confused, go back up to the original triangle and just start cutting strips along the bias.
Okay, I’ll be making 1/2 inch wide double-fold bias tape, so I need to cut 2-inch wide strips. Remember that you’re cutting from the BIAS CUT EDGE.
Using a rotary cutter, quilting ruler, and cutting mat, continue cutting 2-inch wide strips till you get to the end of your fabric.
Now we’ll sew all the strips together. Some people find this part tedious but I think it comes together fairly quickly and seems easiest to me, compared to other methods.

Take two strips of fabric that have edges angled in the same direction and put the right sides of the fabric together.
Like this:
Now I know your instinct is to line them up flush with each other but in a moment I’ll show you why that doesn’t work. You need each strip to over-hang a bit and make a 90 degree angle with each other. Try to be exact but don’t stress over it. Just eyeball as best as you can (the strips end up overhanging about 1/2 inch).

Here’s another look at it. A 90 degree angle:
Then sew the strips together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Typically, the edge of your presser foot is a 1/4 inch allowance, which makes it even easier! Just line it up with your presser foot each time.
Now, had you lined the two strips up flush with each other, without the overhang, your strips would come out looking like this:
But with the overhang, the strips line up perfectly! Just snip off those fabric edges and you’re set!
Now don’t worry if your strips don’t line up exactly every time. No big deal. The edge is the part that will be folded under anyway, so it doesn’t need to be pristine. Just keep pressing forward.

Once your strips are all sewn together it’s time to for the folding fun. Stick the end of the long fabric strip into your bias tape maker. The angled edge will help it feed in easier. If you’re having a hard time getting it out the other end, use a seam ripper or other small object to stick down inside the maker and pull it along.
Then, with your iron on the proper setting for your fabric type, iron down the folded fabric that comes out of the maker.
It’s as simple as that! The small handle on the maker will help you pull with one hand as you iron with the other.
When you get to a spot where two strips were sewn together, just keep pulling and ironing and you shouldn’t have any problems. Keep going with this method till you get to the end of your strip. This will take a while, so listen to good music or turn on a show in the background.
Okay, at this point, you’ve created single fold bias tape. If that’s what you wanted, you’re done!
But for double-fold tape we need to iron it over one more time. Fold the tape in half, so that one side is just slightly wider than the other…about 1/16 of an inch….very small.
Iron all the way to the end of the strip and you’re done!
Yards and yards of beautiful bias tape!
It’s one of those simple tasks that makes you feel accomplished (like getting all the laundry in the washing machine—and eventually folding it)
To make 1-inch wide double-fold bias tape, use a full yard of fabric and cut strips that are 3.75 inches wide:
Pull it through the tape maker, iron it in half,
and you have beautiful single-fold or double-fold bias tape.
Making bias tape from a 1/2 yard of fabric:
The process is a bit more complicated (at least to me) but just read through it step by step.

Fold your fabric to get a 45º angle like we did above and cut the edge with your scissors.
Now to create longer strips of fabric place the cut triangle up on the right, next to your fabric. Those two pieces will be sewn together.
Now fold the bottom half of the fabric to create another bias edge and cut it with your scissors.
Place that triangle below on the left, next to the other piece of fabric (the stripes on the fabric helps match everything up).
Sew the 3 pieces together in those two spots, iron the seams, and now you have one long piece of fabric to cut your bias strips from.
Fold the fabric just as we did in the original directions so you can cut more layers at once, from the bias cut edge. If there’s any excess fabric that’s not wide enough to be a strip, just trim it off before you start cutting strips (like the photo below):
And now you’re ready to cut….2-inch wide strips:
Sew the strips together at the ends, feed them through the bias tape maker, iron, and you’re done again!
To keep your bias tape neat and orderly, wind it around a small piece of cardboard (two layers of old cereal boxes, 4 layers of cardstock, or scraps from an old shipping box all work great).
When you’re done,
Tuck the end under and it will stay put.
And you know what….homemade bias tape would make the perfect gift for a sewing friend!
Tie old ribbon scraps around each set and you’ve got special handmade gift. I’d love to receive something like this. It’s so much more fun to sew up a project with a stash of unique trims on-hand.
Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of the tape.
If you’re ready to sew your trim on….jump to our next tutorial: How to Sew Bias Tape. We’ll show you the simple, cheating method and the proper, never-fail method. Enjoy!

  1. 1) Kelly

    I love this!!!

  2. 2) Nash

    Thank you for this FANTASTIC and helpful tutorial! I will use this for so many projects

  3. 3) Wyndee

    Thank you for making this so simple! I have used this tutorial over and over.

  4. 4) Arkidette

    I love the way you teach, very thorough. I’ll have to bookmark you! I just a sewing machine and want to learn how to quilt. I used to sew when I was much younger so I I thought I’d give it a try again. I always wondered when “bias” meant and what it was. Thank you so much.

  5. 5) Ramya

    Wonderful tutorial… Thank you…..:)

  6. 6) Leah Joy Sample

    I don’t know if you realize this but, you and I have very quickly become very close friends. ; ) Today you taught me how to make my own bias tape. I thank you. : ) I think I also discovered this morning…that I am DEFINITELY…a “sewing nerd” as you call them. ; ) Every time I finish something new, I can’t even explain the rush of excitement I feel for having made something original, something that is my very own and one-of-a-kind. I am still young and have so very much to learn! But now, I have you to be thankful for. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face today, for all of your beautiful inspiration and for filling me up with such a sweet thirst for creativity. : ) I sewed five skirts last week. Three for me, ha, and two, for my little sisters who live across the country. I packed them up and soon a few pieces of me and all of my love will arrive on their door-step to let them know how much I miss them and care about their little lives. There is so much more to sewing/being creative then just being skillful in something. Knowing how to sew, for me, is another way that I know how to love. Thank you again so very much for the inspiration today…and for many days to come!

    -Leah Joy

  7. 7) Mia

    I love the red striped one! (but i am a sucker for red and stripes :))

  8. FINALLY someone tells me what the heck bias tape is and why I need it. Goodness. They had it on sale at the craft store the other day and almost bought it… because if was on sale of course, but then realized “I have NO idea WHY I need this” maybe I’ll wait. haha Thanks!

  9. Thanks so much for this Dana, I used this to make bias binding from half a yard of fabric! It took me a bit to figure it out but it was so worth it! Thanks so much for your ever helpful info!

  10. This is awesome! I’d never seen bias tape makers until I got a job in a sewing studio, now I see them everywhere! Thanks for the tutorial, I’ve got it pinned!

  11. Dana, you are amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing your talent! You are such an inspiration to me! Thank you!

    Jessica

  12. What a great job you did of explaining everything about bias tape. I have seen many blogs use bias tape and binding as one in the same and often calling binding cut on the straight grain bias tape, While bias tape is binding, binding is not always bias tape. Even though I already know how to make bias binding this article makes me want to go to my sewing room and make some with some fun fabrics and look for a project to use it on.

  13. 13) Sarah

    I’ve just come back to this after a bit of a bias failure – I knew you’d set me straight! Great tutorial, thanks!

  14. Dear Dana,

    I thought it was a bit weird for you to be THAT enthusiastic about making bias BUT IT IS TOTALLY TRUE !!! I am making an iron caddy: http://sisterscommonthread.com/products.html and I needed more than 2 m of bias tape. Well, of course shops are closed (it is now 11 pm…) so I remembered you posted a tutorial about this a while ago so I thought I’d check it out. OK, THIS IS ADDICTIVE ! And SO easy ! Thank you, thank you , thank you ! I AM going to make meters and meters of the stuff !!!

  15. 16) Connie

    Dear Dana,
    I was going to try the 1/2 yard method, but changed my mind….ah the perks of “femaledom”!! In your photo marked (Bias Fold 45 degree angle) do you cut off the remaining fabric, the part that hangs below the newly formed triangle.

    Thanks for your help.

  16. 17) sandra

    Thank you so much. You are the only site I have found that explains the method in an easy to understand way. Now on the make my own.

  17. 18) Mary

    I love your tutorial! The folding confuses me (I confuse easily) but I think if I fold my fabric while reading your tute, I’ll get it. I also MUST get the bias tape maker. Thank you for making it look so easy.
    Mary

  18. Thanks for such a great tutorial on bias making, i’ve done this before but I love that you’ve shown clear pictures of the process. Your tutorial makes it very easy to follow…. thanks:)

  19. Love the Tute 🙂

    I don’t have a bias tape maker.. so I pin a large diaper pin to my ironing brd & run the fabric through it..

    thanks again.
    lisalynn

  20. Hi Dana! Thank you so much for this tutorial! I just finished making bias tape for the first time using your tutorial. Thought you might like to know when someone uses your tutorial after all the hard work you put into it! It was quite a tedious process because I didn’t have a bias tape maker and used a large pin on my ironing board, but it worked and it was fun. 🙂 Thank you a ton!

  21. Hi Dana,
    This has to be the BEST tutorial on bias tape I have ever read…you helped me to understand this “abyss” in such a way that I am now on board with it…you are awesome! Thank you so much.
    -Linda

  22. 23) Kelly

    Hi Dana,
    Is linen as appropriate fabric to make biased binding out of??

  23. 24) Erica

    Thank you so much for this tutorial! It was so helpful and straight forward 🙂 I now have a lovely bunch of double-folded bias tape ready to go – hurray!

  24. 25) Leah

    Am working on your boatneck tunic (love it!) and am making the bias tape for the first time with the little gadget you have. I’ve always just spent quality time with my iron making it. No fun. However, the fabric keeps getting twisted inside the bias tape maker so the raw edges aren’t folding in any more. Any pointers to prevent that from happening?

    • 26) Dana

      yea. making bias tape with knits is a bit annoying. You just have to keep playing with it, trying to get it to fold in. Thankfully you don’t need much of it for the boatneck area. And I don’t think I even cut it on the bias.
      I don’t have any good tips other than, keep working at it!
      Sorry 🙁

  25. 27) Mara

    Thank you, oh thank you! I had no idea such a nifty device existed! Love your work 🙂

  26. 28) Princess Pamela

    thank you… thank you… thank you…

  27. 29) Norma

    Where can I buy the the bias tape maker? Haven’t seen them separately without the machine?…….The ones you use manually, like yours?

  28. 30) Lindsay

    Hi Dana,
    Thanks for the great tutorial, you definitely simplified this for me. I don’t know if I’m just not bias tape savvy but I can’t for the life of me get it to work. I’ve done it in the past using my 1″ maker but every time I try to press behind the “pull”, the ends don’t fold or there’s a fold in the middle. Any suggestions on how to figure this out and make the process easier?! I unplugged my iron with a vengeance today out of such frustration. Help!!
    Thanks,
    Lindsay

  29. Hi –
    Thanks for the inspiration and detailed instruction. I went straight out and bought one of the Clover bias tape gizzies. Now to attempt to use it! I used to have an attitude about bias tape, since I only ever saw 30 year old stuff at thrift stores. No more! I have a feeling I’m about to become a mega-fan.
    Not only that, I wasn’t overwhelmed when I stopped and looked at the twill tape, the single fold bias tape, the double fold bias tape, the quilter’s binding… there’s so much there! But today, I actually knew what the stuff was. Hurray!
    Thank you! I’ll definitely be back to your blog!

  30. 32) Carolala

    Man, this is an awesome tutorial!!! Thank you:)

  31. 33) Linda

    Dana, your tutorial is absolutely AWESOME!!! It’a the best one I’ve ever seen. I love all the little things you showede. Thank-you soo much. I’ll be checking back on your blog frequently

  32. Thanks for holding my hand through that Dana! I’m over my fear of bias tape and ready to trim my daughter’s holiday dress.

  33. Hi Dana! I’m wondering the same thing as Connie–do I cut off the extra portion on the bottom that isn’t part of the triangle? I’m assuming I do, since I no longer see it in the pictures. That’s the only step I’m having a hard time understanding. Thanks again for all your effort and hard work on the tutorials!

  34. Oh. My. Gosh. I feel like your blog has opened my eyes to a whole other world of sewing! It is so fantastic.

  35. 38) Monica maglion3

    Excellent! Thank you for the tutorial! Very helpful

  36. 39) clothespin

    Hmmm…. the folder gizmo was not happy with flannel either. 20 yards of ironing later… the next batch of bibs will have quilters cotton fabric not flannel for the edging! Here’s to learning, and ironing, the hard way! 🙂 Thanks so much for the tutorial though…I”m a smart enough lady but sometimes my brain gets all in knots trying to work through all of this!

  37. 40) Caryl

    Great tutorial!! I have made binding for quilts for years but never did double fold. I loved using the little binding gizmo and my binding tape is sooooo pretty!!! Thank you so much!

  38. 41) Kylie Purtell

    Hi Dana, G’Day from Australia.
    I couldn’t read and learn from your incredibly sensitive and understanding (sensitive and understanding of those that don’t quite ‘get’ things easily} and not at least take the time to thank you.
    If there is a better done tutorial, on any topic, anywhere on the planet, I’d be surprised.
    If everyone took the time to be as helpful to others as you have, the World would be a better place.

    Thanks so very much.

  39. 42) Tambra Vandal

    I sure do love this tutorial & can’t wait to make my own bias tapes.

  40. 43) Elizabeth Toby

    I see EVERYTHING and think ‘bias tape’ now! I’m on the hunt for that red and white striped fabric you have, I love it and I need it! It’s a classic combo and yet so hard to find surprisingly haha.

    Anyways, I love your site and I would have never known about the bias tape maker’s output measurements are for single fold only. I’m going to have to dig through your site and see why one would even use single fold bias tape? I’m a little lost on that matter.

    Cheers!

  41. 44) Kristine

    Just wanted to say thank you so much for posting this demo. Very very easy to read instructions and the best description of making bias I have found so far. Your process has made things a lot easier for me and I’m enjoying making bias much more now!! Not nearly as painstaking as previously!

  42. 45) Laurie Gosh

    Thank you for sharing this great tutorial! I have always wanted to know how to make bias tape. This is so helpful.

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  44. 47) M

    Awesome tutorial! Thank you so much for all the explanations!

  45. Wow! Every person who sews should be shown this tutorial. I’ve just pinned it, so that I never lose it. So thorough yet not boring and fantastic photos. Thank you so much. This will be a ‘go-to’ page for me when I’m doing bias binding, until I do alot more of it.

  46. Yay! Just made my first batch! I only used a fat quarter to start, just in case I botched it up. It came out great, and so much more fun than the solid store-bought stuff. Thanks so much for this!

  47. Wow, thanks so much for this amazing tutorial. I’m such a beginner but can’t wait to tackle this project one day!

  48. 51) Kristi

    This is great. As soon as I get a chance I will be doing this using your tutorial!!

  49. 52) Lisa O

    I was so confused abt the the 1/2 inch double fold bias tape.. And the 1/2 inch single fold.. At which part is the width 1/2 inch, opened up or when double folded?! Thanks for making it all so clear!

  50. 53) Julie

    Thank You!
    Had no idea that tape makers could be bought. Your tutorial SO useful

  51. 54) Chrystal

    Thank you so much for your awesome tutorials, Dana!! I know there are thousands of sewing how-tos out there but I find yours to be the most clear with the best instructions and photographs. Especially helpful for me are the photos of the “wrongs” you post, personally I feel so many tutorials assume the reader is skilled, I like that yours speak to the beginner in all of us.

  52. 55) Catherine

    Thanks very much for this instruction. I have never made bias tape but want to soon. I plan on rereading this instruction until it sticks. LOVE IT.

  53. 56) Mitz

    Very helpful :)) Thanks a lot

  54. 57) Lynne

    Thank you so much for explaining it so well. I wasn’t able to understand anyone else’s tutorial for this.

  55. 58) Camille

    How much in yardage does the 1 inch double fold bias tape yield from one yard of fabric?

  56. 59) Darcie

    Thank you for such an inclusive tutorial on making bias tape!! My awesome husband bought me a new cutting mat, rotary cutter, and some assorted rulers to go with i figured it would be a while before I was able to use them.
    I stumbled upon this tutorial and went to work. Oh my goodness this was sooo easy! I can easily see myself with a new addiction.
    Seriously this was totally fun to me!!
    Thanks again!
    Darcie

  57. 63) Michelle Pitcher

    Thank you so much for this detailed tutorial and the wonderful photos. Bias tape makes so much more sense to me now!

  58. 64) Marie

    I’m planning to make the racer shorts in knit fabric this weekend. Can I use regular bias tape with the knit fabric?

  59. 66) SandraB

    I have just found your website looking for a way to make my own bias binding. Your instructions are so clear I have subscribed to your blog and your YouTube channel too as I am just starting out sewing. Thank you for the inspiration and advice.

  60. 67) Pat

    ThIs is an awesome post! I’ve been sewing for over 20 years and have made lots of bias tape, which would take forever! Such a creative, innovative idea, 🙂 I will never buy store bought tape again! Thank you so much for sharing!

  61. 68) Kiri

    hhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiii this was great i loved all the pictures i didn’t even have to read the writing GOOD WORK!!!

  62. 70) niko

    Thanks for this unbelievably thorough bias tape introduction and tutorial.

  63. This is sssuuuuuch a great post. Bias tape isn’t a total mystery to me, but there are some aspects I’ve always wondered about. And I’m sure I’ll forget and need to look back at. Thanks so much for this post!

  64. 74) Susan

    Thank you for this tutorial. However, I have a question.

    I am looking at some purchased single fold and double-fold bias tape. What I read about in your tutorial is double-fold bias tape according to what I have in front of me. What you are calling single fold bias tape is just the double-fold tape unfolded. My purchased single fold tape is a strip folded in half with very narrow folded under edges just so you don’t have raw edges. The double-folded is like what you made–bias strip folded in half to mark the middle, the edges folded in almost to the middle fold–one side folded in just a little less so when folded the edges are a few threads away from meeting.

    So, my question is, am I looking at these the wrong way? Are they the same thing?

  65. 76) Caitlin

    So I don’t know if it has to do with the fabric I’m using, or maybe it’s my iron, but I’m trying to make bias tape out of satin I got at JoAnn’s (it says it’s 100% polyester), but it doesn’t hold the fold when I iron it – I’m not sure what to do! Do you have any suggestions?

    • 77) Dana

      Hi Caitlin,
      It’s harder to press Polyester than cotton. I would use your highest heat setting and press the iron on the fabric for slightly longer. Of course PLEASE do a test first on a scrap piece to make sure the settings are proper and nothing is going to melt from too much heat!

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  67. 79) Nora lilly

    I cannot find any information on how to join together single or double fold packages of wrights bias tape to make a longer piece of binding. Do you know how to do this please?

    • 80) Sarah Turnbull

      Cut the ends of the tape that you want to join to a 45 degree angle, then join as shown above.

  68. 81) Bethany W

    LOOKING FOR ADVICE.
    This tutorial was very detailed and it works great, but any advice on making double fold bias tape with jersey knit. The material is almost “too” stretchy to come out of the bias tape maker perfect.

    Thanks! 🙂

  69. 82) Jackie Baird

    Thank you! This is the most well-written tutorial I have ever read. I am going to pin it for my future reference.

  70. 83) CeLynn

    I can not thank you enough for this well explained toturial! It took a lot of searching before I finally came across your wonderful post/video on bias binding. using your tutorial I was able to understand and make my own bias tape! Thank You!

  71. 84) Jackie

    Thank you for such an informative website page. I have added it to my favourites.
    I was very useful. The video was brilliant too.

  72. 85) Terri

    When buying store bought bias tape , does it have to be washed before using? Will it shrink if i don’t wash it?

    • 86) Dana

      I don’t usually wash it because it can become a tangled mess, and typically store-bought bias tape is made of polyester/cotton blend which doesn’t tend to shrink as much as 100% cotton.

  73. 87) Anna

    Excellent!!! Thank you very much 😀 😀 😀

  74. 88) Jthomps

    Your energy and positive attitude assisted me in determining “I can do this!” Then I watched I used video to work step by step to help myself sew! Very thorough tutorial with steps and “how to” complete task! Thank you!

  75. 89) Coco

    Do you have suggestions on creating bias tape from poly georgette? I know with satin georgette and chiffon that you can’t fold the fabric when cutting because there is no guarantee that the fabric won’t shift when cutting. Thanks!

  76. 90) Marina

    Thank you so much for such a great and easy to follow tutorial! You’re brilliant!

  77. 91) Egonna

    Hi dana this my first here, I love the tutorial on bias making, ,? thanks for the tutorial will give it a trial. Pls I have a question based on the bias making, I don’t have the bias tape maker, rotary cutter, quilting ruler & cutting mat, can I make a bias without these tools? Would love to hear from you soon. Thanks.

    • 92) Dana

      Sure. Strictly speaking, you don’t need any of them, they just help to make it faster and more precise. As long as you have a ruler and scissors, you can make it work. 🙂

  78. 93) Vanessa James

    Dana do you have a video of making outdoor cushions for my patio? Love your videos! You do a wonderful job teaching.

  79. 94) Valerie

    Just discovered your website. Made my first “batch” of bias tape with no problem. Thanks for your clear instructions and good pictures!

  80. 95) Sarah Turnbull

    Somehow fabric becomes prettier in bias tape!

    • 96) Dana

      Right?? It’s fun to see the print in a different way. It almost becomes a different design.

  81. 97) Sarah Turnbull

    I just wanted to point out that it is a good thing to have a gap between the folds, as shown in the tutorial. This allows the tape to fold nicely in half, if that’s what you are doing, or to fold around whatever you are binding. (About 1/8 inch or 2–3mm seems to work well for light to medium weight fabric.) If the folds meet in the middle exactly when you make the first fold, they will scrunch up when you try to do the second fold. Try it and see!

    On another note, I am having a hard time ironing/folding the tape consistently as it comes out of the bias-tape maker and goes under the iron. Does anyone have any hints?

  82. 98) Barbara Andrews

    I looked at several videos for making bias tape and yours is definitely the easiest and the best. Thanks for the great tips!

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  84. 99) Jazmin Ledbetter

    Great tutorial! I have never seen anyone use a rotary cutter downwards. I tried it out of curiosity and my cut was really bad. How did you come to cut that way?

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