How To Make And Sew Bias Tape - Melly Sews

The ultimate reference on bias tape – how to make it, how to sew it, the difference between double and single fold bias tape, and bias tape vs. binding.

Hey ya’ll, in this post I’m going to share everything I know about using bias tape in sewing. Have you ever wondered what bias tape is used for? Or what the difference is between bias tape and binding? Do you need to know what you can use if you don’t have bias tape? I’ll answer all of that and more in this article.

I’ve got decades of sewing experience, and I spent years of my sewing life hating bias tape. It was fiddly and took patience and attention to detail to sew it on correctly. And I never sewed it on correctly because I was trying to go fast. But now that I’ve gotten older and more patient I’ve learned to love bias tape. It adds a great detail, like on these Coastal Cargos (my pattern). And in this post I’ll share the exact steps you need to sew it without frustration. Just don’t try to skip steps like I used to do!

Key Takeaways

Here are the things you’ll learn in this post:

• What is bias tape?
• How is bias tape different from binding?
• What are the differences between single fold and double fold bias tape?
• How can you make your own bias tape?
• What tools can you use to make binding?
• How do you sew double fold bias tape?
• How do you sew single fold bias tape?

What Is Bias Tape?

So, what is bias tape? Let’s go back to thinking about grainlines. Bias tape is fabric that is cut on the bias grain.

Then it has the raw edges folded and pre-pressed to the wrong side. Because it is cut on the bias, it can stretch a little, even though it’s typically made of woven fabric. The bias grain also allows the tape to be pressed into curved shapes. This means it’s good for finishing curved edges like necklines. It can also be a nice decorative touch of contrast. It can be used to finish seams, hems and raw edges or add a decorative touch to a garment, or both.

Types of Bias Tape – Single and Double Fold

Let’s talk about the differences between single and double fold bias tape. Single fold has the edges folded once, double fold has the edges folded twice. You can see examples of each below.

Essentially, double fold bias tape starts out as single fold tape, and then you fold it in half and press again to get the double fold. The main difference between sewing single fold vs double fold bias tape is that in order to use the double fold type, you want to make sure there is no seam allowance, as the tape will finish right to the raw edge of the main fabric. With single fold tape you need a seam allowance equal to half the width of the tape.

Below are some examples of how I’ve used double fold bias tape.

The tank top pictured above features a neckline and armholes finished with double fold bias tape. And yes, you can use woven fabric bias tape to finish a knit garment.

The insides of my Tillery Skirt pictured above also feature double fold bias tape to finish the waistband.

And I finished the neckline of the Hathaway Tank above with single fold bias tape for a thin width and clean finish that doesn’t require a facing. So yes, you can used bias tape instead of a facing.

Bias Tape vs. Binding

What is the difference between bias tape and binding? The act of finishing an edge with bias tape can sometimes be called binding the edge, so it’s easy to see where the confusion comes in. Let’s look at that picture illustrating fabric grainlines again.

If you cut strips of fabric parallel to either the cross grain or the straight grain instead of at a 45 degree angle, you’ve created binding. To finish the edges of quilts you use binding. As it is cut with the grainline it does not curve as well as bias tape. Both types of fabric strips then have their raw edges pressed to the wrong side to enclose the raw edges of whatever they’re finishing. You can see the difference between the two types in the image below.

Make Your Own

Bias tape is sold in packages at the fabric store, but lately I have really enjoyed making my own. It’s especially satisfying once you learn the continuous method to cut the fabric into bias strips. You can get yards of it out of a fat quarter with this method, and you only need to sew two seams! You’ll also need a ruler, fabric marker, scissors and an iron. Watch the video below or on YouTube here to see how that’s done, scroll below for written instructions.

How to Make Continuous Tape

This is a method to make bias tape and only have to sew two seams. I usually use a fat quarter of fabric, and from that I can get 4 yards of 1/2″ double fold tape or 8 yards of 1/2″ single fold.

Start by folding your fabric on the bias. I learned this method to make a square out of a rectangular piece of paper in elementary school. I always iron my fabric on the fold to mark it. Then, cut along the bias fold.

Match two straight grain edges right sides together like this and sew. I use a 1/4″ seam when I do this.

Press the seam open. Your piece will look like this now, with the seam in the middle and the arrow marking the bias grain.

Using a ruler, mark lines on the bias grain of the fabric on the wrong side. When making double fold tape, your lines should be 4 x the final width apart (ie if you want 1/2″ tape at the end, your lines need to be 1/2″ x 4 = 2″ apart). If you want single fold tape, your lines should be double the width of the final tape width apart (ie if you want 1/2″ single fold tape you do 1/2″ x 2 = 1″ apart).

Fold your fabric, imagining that the spaces are numbered like this on one side. On the other side, imagine the numbers start with 1 instead of 0. You’ll match the edges, so you’re pinning the #1 space on one edge to the #1 space on the other side. The arrow shows where the #4’s would line up. Stitch this seam with a 1/4″ seam allowance, and press open.

Your sewn tube will look like this – one row on each side is offset a little.

Now start cutting on your lines. I use scissors and go slowly. You could try a rotary cutter, just be careful not to cut through the bottom layer.

Continue cutting until you have long single strip of fabric.

Next you’ll need to fold in the edges of your fabric strip and press it. See the section below for some methods to do that.

Tools and Notions to Use

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I have some of these Clover bias tips (affiliate link) and I love how they help me quickly iron my cut strips into folded bias binding.

Tape or binding makers like these are usually available in the quilting tools section of the fabric store and easy to find online.

To iron the folds into the tape, you feed the fabric strip through and then iron as you pull the tip away from the iron.

When you finish ironing (which goes by pretty fast) the tape looks like this (right side on top, wrong side on bottom).

To make double fold tape you would first make single fold tape, then you fold the single fold in half and line up the folded edges and iron again. I don’t use a jig or a tip for this part, it’s not too hard to iron in one fold on a long strip.

I save the little cardboards from my store bought trims and wrap the handmade tape on them.

Making Bias Binding without a Tip

Now that I understand how these binding makers work, I got to thinking – what if you don’t have a bias tape maker? Or what if you need a non-standard size of bias tape?

The easiest tip I’ve seen is to use a long straight pin, and pin it through the fabric of your ironing board at the finished width you need. The thread the bias fabric strip under the pin and it will help fold the fabric as you pull it through and iron it. Make sure the pin you use had a pin head that will not melt near the iron. See the example below with my favorite type of glass head pins (affiliate link).

How to Sew Double Fold Bias Tape

First I’m going to show you how to use double fold bias tape. This type of tape wraps around the cut edge of the fabric. Because of that, you don’t need a seam allowance to use this as a finish. I made a video which you can watch below or on YouTube here showing how to sew double fold tape.

Time needed: 10 minutes

Sewing Double Fold Bias Binding

1. Pin the tape to the fabric

   Start by unfolding the tape and pinning it to the right side of the fabric with the raw edges even. Notice that one side of the tape when folded is wider than the other side. You want to pin the shallower side in this step.

2. Stitch in the fold

   Sew in the fold of the trim closest to the raw edge of the fabric.

3. Wrap the raw edges of the fabric

   Wrap the tape to the wrong side of the fabric and pin, just covering the stitching line with the folded edge of the tape.

4. Stitch again

   Stitch very close to the edge of the tape on the right side.

5. Check the wrong side

   Make sure the stitching has caught the edge of the tape on the wrong side.

How to miter corners

The double fold tape video above shows how to miter around a corner with your binding, but here’s a still image visual too. Basically you sew close to the corner, then fold at a 45-degree angle, then continue stitching.

Your can also find a written tutorial for bias corners in this post.

How to Sew Single Fold Bias Tape

Sewing single fold tape is slightly different. Because you’ll be folding in the raw edge of the fabric under the tape, you do need a seam allowance equal to half the width of the tape. Here’s a video showing how to do it, which you can also watch on YouTube here. If you prefer a written tutorial, check out this post.

What if you need to sew around a curved edge? This is a little trickier than a straight edge, but it’s also one of my favorite ways to hem curves. In the video above I show how to handle a curve by steaming the tape into shape before sewing it. The process is the same with double fold bias tape.

Now have some fun making your own bias tape and using it to add a professional looking finish and a pop of color and pattern to your sewing! Until next time, happy sewing!