What is bias tape?
Meet your new secret weapon. Bias tape is exactly what its name implies – a narrow strip of fabric cut on the bias. Practically every woven fabric, no matter how stiff, will stretch slightly on the diagonal – the bias – even if they have no elastic fibers at all. That means that bias tape is easy to bend into any shape you need.
The bias cut gives it flexibility, making it great for binding curved edges that you can’t just fold over, places like necklines, armholes, hems on circle skirts, etc. It can take the place of facing and save you some work.
Make your own bias tape
Bias tape is easy to make from practically any woven fabric.
To make your own, simply mark a diagonal line at a 45-degree angle to the grainline on your fabric. Then mark perpendicular lines at the ends for however wide you need your tape to be. Usually you cut a strip that is twice as wide as you need for the finished bias tape. The edges of the tape are then folded in.
How to iron bias tape
Commercially made bias tape will have already been pressed, but if you make your own at home, here are a few tips for how to make it look nice and neat.
- Iron than sew
Usually, you'll press the tape when you make it. A bias tape maker is a useful little tool that keeps you from burning your fingers – just thread the strip in, it folds the edges over, and you iron as you pull it through.
- Sew then iron
If you feel really confident, you can start sewing first and then fold and iron later. To do this, sew the strip to the edge you are finishing, then fold it back and iron. You can press down both folds at once and then sew, or fold and sew by hand all at once.
We’ll look at how to do this below, where we sew with bias tape as a decorative trim.
Buying bias tape
Most fabric stores carry bias tape. If you don’t need a particular fabric and you see a pre-made tape you like, don’t hesitate to buy it.
Most stores carry the following types of bias tape:
Cotton base bias
Made of plain-weave cotton. Cotton bias tape is narrow but sturdy, and is useful for use with medium to heavyweight fabrics. It comes in various widths from a half inch to up to four inches and a range of colors.
Satin base bias
Made of polyester satin. Satin bias tape is softer than cotton so it works better for lighter fabrics. It also comes in a range of widths and colors.
Muslin bias tape
Muslin bias tape is good for muslin, double gauze, and similar soft fabrics.
Nylon bias tape
Nylon bias tape can be used for edging similar materials.
Jersey bias tape
Jersey bias tape is used for knits.
Patterned bias tape
Those are usually made as cotton or satin bias tape. They can be a playful way of trimming children’s clothing, home furnishings and crafts.
How to make bias tape longer
This can happen if you’re working with fabric scraps. If you need a longer strip, simply splice several shorter pieces together. Here's how.
Lay the ends of the two strips perpendicular to each other, face to face. Pin and sew diagonally.
Trim the seam allowances and press thoroughly.
Sewing with bias tape
How to finish an edge with bias tape? Practice makes perfect. If you’re new to sewing, practice on a scrap of fabric first.
Lay the bias tape against the fabric face to face. Make sure that the seam lines are aligned; if the bias strip has a 1/4 inch (7 mm) seam allowance but the garment has a seam allowance of 3/8 inch (1.5 cm), it’s the seam lines you should match up, not the edges.
After sewing, trim the seam allowance, fold into place, and iron.
Finally, sew the strip in place. If you use a machine, the stitches will be visible on the face side; if you sew by hand you can use an invisible stitch, catching just a thread or two of the garment fabric each time for a finish that is practically invisible on the face side.
Hand sewn bias tape on the inside of a linen dress. The photo is from our post how to sew a linen wrap dress.
Another example of how to use bias tape: hem finished with bias tape on a wool circle skirt. We finished and reinforced the hem on the circle skirt for our wool pinafore dress with pre-made cotton bias tape. See the full tutorial at how to make a pinafore dress.
Decorative trimming with bias tape
If you use bias tape to finish a neckline, armholes, or circle skirt hem, you will probably tuck it under to hide it as in the examples above. This isn’t the only option though. You can use bias tape to make a decorative trim too.
You start the same way. Sew the bias tape on. But don’t fold it over entirely as you would for a hidden finish. Instead, fold it in half, sandwiching the seam allowance in the middle, tuck under the unsewn edge of the bias tape on the inside of the garment, and press it in place.
The difference is shown below. On the left the bias tape (in yellow) is hidden inside the garment. On the right the bias tape (in red) is wrapped around the rough edge and is visible from both sides, making a decorative trim. The black lines show where to sew (the seam lines). In both figures, the face side of the fabric is face down.
A little wider on one side
When machine-sewing a decorative trim, you'll sew from the right side of the fabric, catching the tape on the other side as you sew. The fold-over on the inside of the garment is a hair wider, maybe 1/8" (2 mm). You can see it in the figure above. This is because you are sewing from the front next to the trim, not on it. Keep this in mind while ironing the tape in place.
Some pre-made bias tape is made with one side slightly wider for this very reason. You can do the same when you make your own bias tape if you plan to use it as a trim.
Do you use bias tape?
Have you come across any interesting applications?
Share your experiences in the comments!
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