Self-Made Bias Binding 

Why self-made bias binding? I prefer to make my own because most of the manufactured stuff is often a cotton poly mix, stiff and boring.

My method involves cutting a piece of on-grain fabric a specific size, cutting off then re-attaching a corner to make a trapezoid (yes) before marking the cutting lines and sewing it into a tube.  Sounds complicated, but it’s not, really. (It’s a fairly long post though, but if you want a printable, there’s a 2-page PDF link at the bottom.)

Calculating Fabric Size

How many inches of finished binding do you need? _______inches (4 yards, 144 inches)

How wide do you want your binding strips? _______inches (2 ½ inches wide)

Multiply those numbers together and the answer is how many square inches of fabric you need.

_________ x ___________ = ___________ square inches.  (I need 360 square inches)

If you want to work with a square of fabric (easiest) you’ll need to calculate the “square root” of the number of square inches you just worked out.  A calculator has that function.  I can’t find the icon on my keyboard, so took a pic of my calculator to show you.

I entered 360 then pushed that key.  See my answer; 18.97….. call it 19.  Close enough for me.  A piece of fabric 19 inches x 19 inches will give me the amount of binding I need.

So let’s say you have a chunk of fabric that’s perfect, and it’s only 17 inches wide, how long does it need to be?  Divide the number of square inches you need by the width of the available fabric.  I still need 360 so divide by 17 = 21.17, call it 22.  A rectangle 17” x 22” will work.  Get it?  Just don’t settle for a really narrow long piece, it’s awkward. 

Sew it into a Trapezoid

Press your square or rectangle of fabric (with best-press or something like that).  Lay it out on your cutting surface and fold one corner over at a 45-degree angle keeping the bottom edge even.  Cut the triangle off at the fold and flip it back open.  Label them A & B as shown. 

Without turning it over, or rotating it, pick up B and put it on the opposite side of A with the straight edges beside each other.  With right sides together, pin, and sew that straight seam using ¼ inch seam allowance.  Press flat with seam allowance open.  Now you have a trapezoid!

Beginning at one of the diagonal sides, use a quilting ruler to draw parallel lines the width of your desired strips apart on the wrong side of your fabric.

Fold the bottom toward the top with right sides together, off-setting the lines by 1, and matching up ¼” in from the edge.  It will seem awkward. 

Sew, and it will look like this

Cut on the line to make your continuous bias strip.

Press the seams open.

How to Make it into Binding

My One-Fold Binding

On my jackets I used this option; pressing a 2 ½”  strip wrong sides together, just like quilt binding.

I applied it like quilt binding, too, sewing the raw edges to the inside edge of my garment using a 3/8” seam, then turning the fold to the right side enclosing the seam allowance, and top-stitching it in place.

On some fabrics though, that finish is too thick so I use a different fold and a narrower cut. 

My 2-Fold Binding

This one is 2” wide, with ½ inch pressed to the wrong side at each long edge. 

I use a tool like this. They come in a variety of sizes, this one is labeled 25mm which roughly translates to 1 inch, which is the width of the folded pressed binding.  (2-inch wide fabric with ½ inch pressed in on each edge = 1 inch)

To use it, cut one end to a point and insert it good side down, into the large end of the tool.  There’s a slot in the blue plastic so you can use a pin to scratch the point of the fabric into and then out of the point.  (See how it’s folding)  Use your iron to press it, then hold that little handle and pull the tool along the fabric, continuing to press as you go. 

To apply it, unfold one edge and sew the right side to the wrong side of the edge you want to bind, sewing along the fold.  Fold the binding around to the front and sew close to the fold to secure.  Press lightly.

I use these finishes on many of my garments, including the Turkish Dancer Dress and matching jacket.  And of course I used it inside my Tania coatigan jacket by Jalie.  When I taught this at a CreativFestival it went over very well

.I’m including it as part of my Tania Sew-Along, too.

This turned into a long, long post with many photos, but I hope it’s useful.  I condensed it to 2 pages as a downloadable PDF Bias Binding Self Made

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