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Fun with Bias Tape!
So, bias tape. Yup. Ya know I heard somewhere that it wasn't period. Yup. Ok, it's true. I don't love bias tape. Well, at least I didn't. See, because, you really can't love something without some form of understanding of it's place and use in the world. I can honestly say that I have a better understanding of bias tape. I actually did a happy dance at that "A HA!" moment today (that would be October 25th, 2008). So there I was, working on my "U" front jerkin for my Tudor ensemble when I ran into a brick wall. I couldn't bind the edges of what would be a very complex set of curves with the U front. I just couldn't figure out how to do it! That sucked! I remember asking Bri how to do it and she explained it to me, and even sent me a website on how to make bias tape, and, for the life of me, I just couldn't translate what the eyes saw to what the hands did. That sucked. So I hunted around the web and found a couple of websites, including very interesting web blog- not useful, but amusing. But then, a baby bib saved my neck line! http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2007/05/bib-tutorial.html W00T!!!!!! And so I went and figured it out! It went BANG!!! it went POP!!! It went KAPOWEE GAZOWEE!! it went straight to my hands and suddenly it made sense! Oh the wonderful world of bias tape! Why so wonderful? Because it stretches! It stretches in all the right
ways! And it doesn't pucker the fabric! And it doesn't seem to snap back
like a rubber band, or memory foam, or a mean dog your trying to pet. No!
It knows it's place! So here's what I did to figure it out. First, I got me a piece of scrap material- the same red velvet I'm using for the U Front jerkin and cut a couple of tight curves in either end. Then I cut myself a long piece of black velvet for the binding, on the bias of course and went to work pinning. Pinned it good and proper too. When I got to the curve, I pulled the black velvet tight (not the red velvet) around the curve and pinned it into place. Liberal use pins. Oh yes, velvet is forgiving so I stuck more pins into it than a voodoo doll owned by a Santeria Priestess living in an Evangelical town! This is what it looked like from the backside. Notice the lack of black? That's because it's on the other side- the front side.
And I sewed that puppy up too! You have to smooth it out as you go, and iron it with each step. This is a picture of the front, post stitch, but pre ironing. You also have to make sure that when you are sewing that you keep the curve of the piece that is being bound. That way, when you're binding something other than a kidney been, it won't sew the curve straight (which will make the binding sit flat, but pucker and buckle the bound fabric- and that's bad) See, this is what the front looks like. Notice the black, that's because it's the front.
So, ok, the difference- in the method- between a bound edge and a faced
edge is the amount of bias tape showing. When you face an edge, your basically doing the same thing, but instead of forming a pocket over the edge of the fabric, you are folding everything back behind the fabric, so that the tape is only visible on the inside. I think I will actually find a picture of this difference to post- or draw one myself. My doodle skills are increasing by leaps and bounds! (I'm so excited!) So, anyways. don't forget to ease (that is, make snips in the fabric, up to the stitching, around a curve) the curve of the fabric. It will help it lay flat and and keep the shape. So how does one make bias tape? Well this is the quick and easy way to do it. Nothing fancy, mind you, 'cause, you know, I'm a simpleton...
So you take the fabric and cut from one corner to the other at a 45 degree angle. This is cutting on the bias. And when you cut strips on the bias, you are making bias tape! Just make sure the bias tape you are cutting is wide enough to do the job! That is, figure out how much tape you want showing on the front of the garment, double it, and ad in seam allowance. So if you want an inch of tape showing on the front, you'll need 2 inches. And if your seam allowance is 5/8ths, then you'll need 1 1/4 plus your original 2 inches for a grand total of a piece 3 1/4 inches wide. Easy peasy! Fold the strip in half and iron flat. |
First get a large piece of fabric. Then figure out how the fibers run.
Usually, on practically every fabric you'll encounter, they run up/down
and right/left. This makes life easy.