Tutorial - making bias tape!

I was trying to explain about how I make continuous bias tape on the Sew Obsessed group on Ravelry, but it was really hard to do without pictures. So I thought I would do a blog post where I can have lots of pictures!!
First of all, why make your own bias tape? Well aside from the fact you can get an exact match to what you are making, or choose your own funky contrast fabric, home-made bias tape is cheaper and better quality. The basic bias tape you can get at the haberdashers (they usually carry a rough cotton and a satin-y polyester type) are frankly rubbish. I'll use the cotton type occasionally when making toiles or as an interfacing, but even when I'm using bias tape as a facing that will never be seen I make my own these days. There are now fancy, pretty bias tapes with cute patterns available at places like John Lewis or Liberty's. I have never used them, they look to be better quality but are very expensive.
I am going to describe two ways of making a large quantity of bias tape. Method 1 is quicker and works better if you have a long thin piece of fabric, method 2 is more time consuming but maximises yardage especially if you have an odd shaped bit of fabric and makes it easier to match stripes.

You can use any woven fabric, but for best results use something lightweight that presses well. Prewash first if necessary. If you need to make bias tape out of something bulkier (e.g. suiting) then go for a wider tape. Here I have used cotton shirting (the green stripes) and linen (the blue stripes). I like using stripes for bias tape, but it also helps show where the grain of the fabric is.

You will need the same equipment whichever method you use. Scissors, marking tools (I have used black chalk in this tutorial for visibility but normally I would use something like air erasable marker) and realistically you will need a bias tape maker. I will mention how to make bias tape without one, but it is a faff, and the tape makers are cheap so I recommend getting one.

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For method 2 you might find a rotary cutter useful, but it isn't essential

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The bias tape makers come in a variety of sizes, I have 12 and 25 mm, which is about 1" and 2" respectively. I'm going to make 12mm as that's what I need right now!

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Step one for either method is to mark the bias. This is 45 degrees from straight grain (Straight grain is the grain parallel to the fabric's selvedge). I normally tape my fabric to something with right angles to make sure the grain isn't off, then I use my Patternmaster ruler to mark the bias. If you don't have a patternmaster you can use a protractor or a set square.

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You can see that I have marked the bias at the corner of the fabric. This is important for method 1.

Method 1

Keep marking the bias lines at intervals approximately twice the width of the finished tape - so here for 12mm tape I am marking 25mm apart.

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only mark along the long sides, not the short sides (this will make more sense in a minute!). Stop when you get to the corner opposite to where you started - so we started at top left, stop when you get to bottom right.
You should have a piece of fabric the looks like this

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Cut off the triangles at each end, but do not cut along the cutting lines. You will have a parallelogram.

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Now comes the tricky bit. Mark a seam allowance (as I'm lazy I used a stripe instead). Bring the two long sides together, right sides together so the first line you drew (on the other side of the rear of the back bit of fabric in this picture) aligns with the cut edge

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This is so you will end up with a continuous spiral cutting line. If you align the first line with itself on the other long edge, you will end up with a load of bias loops.
Pin all along the long edge, making sure cutting lines match at the seam line. Once you have lined the first up the rest should follow quite easily, but keep checking.
Once it's all pinned it will look like a tube with a diagonal seam (which is what it is!

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Here is a close up of the offset edge. I cannot emphasise enough how important this is!

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Sew along the seam you have just pinned

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Press open the seam, then start cutting along the lines you have marked, which, if you have done it right, will join up into a continuous spiral.

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You should end up with a long tape. To make it into bias tape, use the instructions for both methods, below.

Method 2

I have a fat quarter of cotton shirting. I started as above, by marking the bias. If I stop when I get to the corner as in method one, I'm not going to get a lot of tape out of the quarter!

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So I keep marking either side of the corners

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You can see that I did stop before I got to the bottom left and top right corners. The reason for this is as you can see, each length will get shorter and you get diminishing returns. If you really want to maximise yardage, then keep going to the very corners!
For this method you cut the strips out before you seam

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Until you end up with just the leftover corners.

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I like to keep the corners for matching yo-yos.
Now for the time consuming bit! Pin each piece to the next as shown below. You can see how I've managed to match stripes (on this bit, I have to admit I didn't do it on every join!)

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Sew each join

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Here's the nicely matched join

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Press the joins

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And trim the seam allowances

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Now you have a pile of unfolded tape. Folding it into bias tape is the same whichever method you used to get this far.

If you don't have a bias tape maker
Press the tape in half lengthwise

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Unfold, and press one edge to centre line

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Repeat with other edge

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This is OK for short pieces, but if you are making a lot, you want a bias tape maker

With a bias tape maker

It is almost too easy! Feed the end of the tape through the machine and secure to your ironing board with a pin. Pull the bias tape maker along the tape, with the iron following a few cm behind. try and keep the tape central in the tape maker, and slow down when you get to seams so it doesn't pull.

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Ta-da!

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The fat quarter got me more than 6 metres of 12mm tape! I didn't measure the blue stuff, as yo can see, it's a lot from a 35cm-ish width of fabric.

Bias tape is great as a facing, as a binding or as an appliqué. Once you have made your own you will never go back to the pre made stuff!