Bias Tape Tutorial

The last two dresses I made for Serenity (the Round Neck Top/Sundress and Caroline Dress) both recommended handmade bias tape around the armholes in fabric that would coordinate with the dresses. I could've used store-bought, but the dresses wouldn't have had the look I wanted.

Making handmade bias tape is time-consuming and tedious to say the least. The cutting out part isn't so bad - it's the folding that gets my goat!

And burns my fingers!

But today while surfing sewing blogs on the net, I came across this incredibly simple and easy bias-folding tutorial. Maybe it's one of those old secret techniques that every semstress knows, but since I'm just a step up from a beginner, I never knew about it! I found it so very clever and helpful!

You've got to watch this video:

The video was created by The Green Wife based on a bias tape tutorial by Creative Little Daisy. Both blogs are very interesting with some great tutorials posted. Go check them out today!

And if don't know how to cut your own bias tape, click here for a tutorial that might help you with that too!

For the "No Swearing Bias Tape Method" of attaching bias tape check out this funny video:

Clover® makes handy little bias tape makers in different sizes (all under $10) - something else I didn't know about before today! I even found a video on youtube.com that shows you how to the neat little gadget:

Or if you have the bucks, you might want to try the Simplicity Bias Tape Maker for $100 at Amazon.com. You cut the fabric out yourself like usual, wind it around a spool, and then press a button for perfectly folded bias tape! That's pretty expensive for a machine that only folds the tape - I'd much rather the cheap pin and iron board method! However... I do like the Simplicity Rotary Cutting Machine, now that's something I would like to get. But I guess I don't really need it [sigh], hand cutting and ripping is a lot cheaper!

Have fun making your own bias tape!