How to Make Bias Tape: Cutting, Joining and Pressing Bias Strips

The short answer: to make bias tape, starch and press your fabric, then cut strips at 45° to the selvedge. Join the strips with diagonal seams so the joins run along the straight grain, press the seams open and trim them. Then press the strip in half lengthways. Homemade bias tape is slimmer, firmer and easier to shape than most shop-bought tape, and you can make it from almost any lightweight fabric.

Marina learned bias binding the hard way. In the nineties she worked for a designer in Bath, England, producing two collections a year in slippery velvet and sheer silk. Seams were rarely overlocked. Instead they were bound with bias or finished with French seams, and binding sheer organza coats became her particular pet hate. This guide shares the lessons from that workroom.

Why cut on the bias?

Woven fabric barely stretches along its straight grain, but it has plenty of give on the diagonal (the bias). A strip cut at 45° can curve smoothly around necklines and armholes without puckering. That's why binding for garments is almost always cut on the bias.

Homemade vs shop-bought bias tape

	Homemade bias strips	Shop-bought bias tape
Look	Slim and neat, and matches your garment exactly	Limited colours, and often thick and stiff
Handling	Shapes smoothly around curves	Folded twice, so it adds bulk on tight curves
Best for	Necklines, armholes, silk, linen and lightweight garments	Long straight edges: petticoats, aprons, placemats and craft projects

Marina keeps rolls of shop-bought tape for petticoats and trims, but she never puts it on a good piece of fabric.

What you'll need

• Fabric: lightweight wovens such as cotton lawn, linen, silk, rayon or viscose
• Spray starch
• A long ruler and a rotary cutter and mat, or sharp scissors and chalk
• An iron, and a tailor's clapper if you have one

Step 1: Starch the fabric first

This is the secret most tutorials skip. In the Bath workroom, Marina noticed that orange organza came out much softer than black organza because of the way the dye works. A soft bias strip twists and ripples, while a firm one behaves. Spray starch generously and press until dry. It gives the strip an even firmness, which matters even more if you use a bias binder presser foot. The starch washes out afterwards.

Step 2: Find the true bias and cut the strips

1. Fold the fabric so the cut edge lines up with the selvedge. The fold is the true bias, at 45°.
2. Press the fold lightly, then open it and use the crease as your first cutting line.
3. Measure and cut strips parallel to that line at the width your pattern gives.

How wide? Follow your pattern, because the width depends on the binding method. If you're working without one, a common rule of thumb for a double-layer (French) binding is to cut the strip about six times the finished binding width.

Step 3: Join the strips on the diagonal

1. Check that both strip ends are cut at 45°. That way the joining seam runs along the straight grain, so it won't stretch, and it spreads the bulk out so the binding stays flat.
2. Place two strips right sides together at a right angle. Offset them so each end overlaps the other strip slightly. Your stitching line should run from notch to notch, where the edges cross, so the joined strip comes out straight.
3. Sew, press the seam open and trim it back neatly.

For a neckline, join the strip into a continuous loop the right size before you attach it. Divide both the neckline and the loop into quarters and match the marks.

Step 4: Press it in half

For the binding method Marina demonstrates here, press the strip in half lengthways, wrong sides together, so one edge is a crisp fold and the other has both raw edges. A tailor's clapper held on the fold for a few seconds gives a sharp, flat crease, especially on fabrics that don't hold a press well. This is the same technique many clothing manufacturers use: it's quick, neat and hard to get wrong.

Applying your bias binding

Once your strips are ready, the basic sequence for a bound neckline is:

1. Sew the raw edges of the binding to the neckline. Sew it to the wrong side if you want the binding to show as a trim on the outside, or to the right side if you want it hidden. Ease or gently stretch it around the curve.
2. Trim the seam allowance back.
3. Understitch: stitch the seam allowance to the binding so the underside never rolls out.
4. Fold the binding over and topstitch it down, covering the trimmed edge. Finish with plenty of steam.

To watch each method sewn from start to finish, including single-fold visible binding, single-fold invisible binding and double-fold binding, visit our bias binding video tutorials. For more ways to finish a neckline, see the neckline tutorials.

Marina's bias binding tips

• On satin, use the matte side for the binding. The contrast against the shiny side looks elegant.
• Silk satin is not for the tumble dryer. For garments that need to go in the washer and dryer, use rayon or viscose instead.
• For knits, shorten the binding. On a very soft knit neckline, Marina cuts the binding about 3 cm shorter so it doesn't sit loose. She presses it in half, sews it to the right side, overlocks the edge, then turns it to the front.
• A bias binder foot is handy for long lengths on aprons or bags. It's less useful for garments. You can find out more on our sewing machine feet guide.

The Natalie Sun Dress: the straps can be made from your own bias strips.

Projects to practise on

• Manhattan Tank Top: a bias-cut top with bias-bound neckline and armholes, or a lined version
• Natalie Sun Dress: the straps can be made with shop-bought tape, and the video shows how to cut and sew your own
• Half Apron (free): choose a bias-bound or ruffled edge

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between bias tape and bias binding?

The terms are often used interchangeably. "Bias tape" usually means the pre-folded strip, and "bias binding" means the finished edge once the strip is sewn on.

Why is my bias binding wavy or twisted?

Usually the strip is too soft, or it was stretched unevenly while you sewed it. Starch the fabric before cutting, and only ease the binding where the curve needs it.

Can I make bias tape without a bias tape maker?

Yes. For the method in this guide you only press the strip in half, so you don't need a bias tape maker at all.

Which fabrics make good bias tape?

Lightweight wovens: cotton lawn, poplin, linen, silk, rayon and viscose. Heavy fabrics make bulky binding. On heavier garments, use a lighter coordinating fabric for the binding.