How to Use Bias Tape to Bind a Quilt
- 1). Place fabric flat on cutting mat and align grain on perpendicular lines. Locate 45-degree line and align cutting guide. Cut fabric on 45-degree line. Determine width of fabric strips based on the size of your bias tape maker. The bias tape maker should have instructions for cutting. If you have a bias tape maker without instructions, measure around the edge of the bias tape maker where you insert the fabric. Cut strips the width needed.
- 2). Trim ends of strips to 45-degree angles and stitch them together to make a long continuous strip. It may be helpful to pin the strips in place and check before stitching to be sure you are putting the strips together correctly. Press seams. Continue until you have a long enough strip to edge around corners and all sides of the quilt. You will need at least a half-inch extra to fold under at the end of the bias strip binding.
- 3). Feed strip through the large end of the bias tape maker. The fabric comes out on the other end folded. Iron the folds flat as fabric comes through the small end of the bias tape maker.
- 4). Fold your hand-made bias tape in half, long edges together, ironing it flat. As you iron, roll or fold the tape similar to the folding of the purchased bias tape. This will keep the hand-made bias tape from losing its shape while you work with it.
- 5). Trim your finished quilt edges so that the quilt is squared at corners and sides are straight. Quilt top, bottom and batting should be trimmed together evenly.
- 6). Pin you unfolded bias tape to top edge on the back of quiltt. Align the center fold of the bias tape with the quilt edge. At corner, pin bias tape straight across to edge. Fold the bias tape 90 degrees to go down the next side. This will create a triangle at the top side edge of the bias tape. Fold the triangle down onto the bias tape. This will create a mitered corner. Match edges of mitered corner. Pin corner in place and continue around all four sides in this way.
- 7). Fold end of bias tape over about a half-inch when you arrive at your original pinned end. Overlap folded end and pin in place.
- 8). Stitch back of bias tape onto quilt by hand or machine. Use a blanket stitch or a blind stitch to sew by hand. If sewing by machine, top-stitch close to inside folded edge of bias tape. Remove pins.
- 9). Pin front of quilt and front of bias tape together. Use folding technique to miter corners.
- 10
Hand stitch folded over edge of bias tape to quilt along inside edge. If machine stitching, top-stitch bias tape to quilt along inside edge. Remove pins. Trim threads. Quilt is ready to use.
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