First Foray into Bias Tape Making

Note, products for this post were given to me by Clover for review. All opinions are my own.

I've been quilting since January 1997 (that'll be 28 years in a couple of days 😯), but this is the first time I've ever made my own bias tape. It's not the first time I've used bias tape; I used pre-made bias tape for the binding of my first quilt. You can read about how that went here.

I have a few different ideas in mind for using bias tape now, though, so when Clover offered to send me some notions to review, I jumped at the chance. I requested bias tape makers in the ½" and ¼" sizes, along with a pair of Bordeaux scissors. All three ended up being used for this first go at making bias tape.

First, I followed this tutorial to make the strips for the bias tape, starting with an 18" square. It worked really well, except the tutorial doesn't mention that you have to offset the lines when pinning, not match them up, to account for the seam allowance. Thankfully, I realized that after only sewing a few inches, so I didn't have to rip out much. Once I re-pinned with the lines offset, everything went smoothly.

Cutting the strips apart made me very thankful we don't have to cut every piece for our quilts by hand anymore. That line going around and around and around the tube seemed to go on forever!

I thought I would want to use double-fold bias tape to go around the applique shapes on my cushion, so I cut the strips at 1" wide to go in the ½" bias tape maker (which makes it ¼" when double-folded). Pulling it through the bias tape maker was soooo quick and easy! Apparently I didn't think to take a picture at this point, though.

Since I really wanted to see how the black bias tape would look around the red applique mittens, I tested it out after I had pulled about 1' through the bias tape maker. I'm so glad I stopped to check! The double-fold bias tape was too thick, and the ½" was much too wide to use as edging around the appliques.

I looked at the long, long, long 1" strip I had just cut apart and debated what to do. I could pull it all through the ½" bias tape maker and press it, then set it aside for some future project, or I could cut it in half along the whole length to use with the ¼" bias tape maker. I decided to cut it in half, using my new Bordeaux scissors. I figured my large shears were too long, and I wouldn't have enough control to stay in the middle of the strip with them. These little ones (the blades are less than 2" long) would probably work better.

They worked perfectly! They gripped the fabric nicely, so it didn't slip at all, and they cut cleanly right to the tips. I still didn't stay perfectly centered all the way along the strip, since I was just eyeballing it, but it's good enough. At this point I had two very, very long ½" strips.

Time to try the ¼" bias tape maker! Again, it was really easy to get started feeding the strip through the bias tape maker and it came out perfectly folded. I found it a bit fiddly to try to press those little 1/8" sides without accidentally flattening one side or the other, but once I got into the rhythm of it, it went well. It helped to pull the bias tape maker back slowly, and to keep the iron pretty close to it, so the sides of the fabric didn't have a chance to open up at all before being pressed down. 

All was well, until I got to the first seam allowance joining strips together. The seam allowance wouldn't pull through the bias tape maker at all. Looking at the teeny-tiny end of the bias tape maker, it's not surprising...it's only ¼" wide, after all. I pulled the strip backwards and cut it just before the seam. The piece of folded bias tape I had pulled through already was long enough to go around one mitten, so it was fine. See the finished cushions (and the free tutorial) here.

I cut off the seam, which had gotten a bit mangled as I tried to pull it through, then I started again and when I got close to the next seam joining strips, I stopped and trimmed the seam allowance down to ⅛". With a bit of extra force, I was able to pull that through the bias tape maker. That extra force meant it pulled too far through the bias tape maker and didn't stay folded, though, so I had to manually fold each side over and press it down. This only took a few seconds, but it did reinforce my belief that I wouldn't want to be folding over the sides of the whole strip 😂 If I had to make bias tape by hand, it would never happen!

Once I had the sides folded over at the seam, I continued pulling the strip through the bias tape maker. Easy-peasy! When I got to the next seam allowance, I trimmed it down again, then pulled it more gently than I had the previous seam. It came through the bias tape maker and stayed folded well enough that I could press it down cleanly. Success!

I kept going, pausing before each seam to trim down the seam allowance. It should be noted that the tutorial I followed to make the strip did say to trim down the seam allowance, but I chose to ignore that at the time. Because I obviously knew what I was doing, right? Ha, I paid for that by needing to stop at every seam all along the strip to trim it down.

I suggest using steam as you press the strips as they come through the bias tape maker. I don't put water in my iron, but I started misting a bit of water onto my ironing board to create steam and that really helped to hold the folds in place.

Before long, I had all the bias tape folded and ready to put around my applique shapes! If you want to see the finished cushion, head to this post. I wrapped the leftover bias tape around a piece of cardboard so I can store it until I'm ready for the next project with it 😊

After using the Bordeaux scissors for a few weeks now, they've already become the scissors I reach for first. They're really sharp right to the tips, and they grip the fabric well. I also really like that they come with a leather sheath, so I can take them with me without worrying about them poking holes in anything. I've been using them to cut hexies for my new EPP travel project, especially. I'm using ½" hexies, and these little scissors are perfect for cutting the (very small) hexies out of my scraps. That project hasn't made it to the blog yet, but it will sometime soon.

As for the bias tape makers, I was impressed by how well they worked! Like I said, if I had to fold over the sides myself, I'd never make bias tape. That's especially true at the ¼" width! With this little gadget, though, it went quickly (other than my snafu with the seam allowances, but that was my own fault). I never did pull a seam through the ½" bias tape maker, so I can't say if it's as important to trim the seam allowance at that size, but I suspect it would still be a good idea.

Now, what else can I use bias tape for??? 🤔