The Bib Series: Make your own Bias Tape

Hey everyone!  It's been awhile.  Please don't be mad.  But, hey!  Don't say I didn't warn you in the last post on... March 1...that I had a lot of things going on lately.  Things that have happened since March 1st:  I defended my Master's Thesis (which means I get a new acronym after my name, M.S.), I finished up the semester with a butt-load of things due (numerous paper, numerous presentations), and attempting to finish up my year-long internship/practicum (only two more weeks!).  In addition, I have been dealing with a few health issues with my cat, Oliver.   I'll comment on what's been going on with Oliver later, as I'd like to keep this post light.

However, now the summer is almost here, and my schedule is rapidly opening up to the MANY things I have been planning!  Here's a little preview of what's on the agenda:

• Garden 2013, already in full swing.
• Part 3 of The Bib Series:  The Finished Product
• The Bob Dylan T-Shirt Quilt Project
• Oliver:  Last Days
• I plan to practice my photography this summer, which will probably include many sights around the Chicago area.  
• More recipes and tutorials!

So, this post is so spectacularly late, that the baby I made this panda bib for is already born, and is now a month and a half old!  Little Elliette has already been spitting up and vomiting all over her bibs for a month and a half already!  So let's get down to it.  When we left off, we had finished our applique, and were left with two sides (the front and the back) of the bib.  

At this point, we need to use one of the most versatile things in the sewing world:  Bias Tape.  Bias tape is not TAPE, it's basically just fabric that has been cut at a 45° angle and folded into quarters.  This can be purchased at any fabric store, usually near the thread.  It is so versatile, because it can be used to "edge" projects to cover up raw ends of fabric, instead of other traditional methods.  Plus, it's really CUTE.  However, what I found is that the selection of pre-made bias tape offered in stores tend to be really bland and kind of expensive.  A few years ago, I found that I can make my own bias tape rather easily, which means that I can have any pattern I want!!  

For a few years, when it came to folding and pressing the edges, I would "eyeball" it, which tended to take a while.  I looked in fabric stores for bias tape guides which would facilitate this process, but they were all pretty expensive as well.  THAT'S when I found this printable bias tape maker at The Scientific Seamstress which literally changed my life.  It was free, and it really works!  So let's get to it then:

Materials:

Cutting Mat

Rotary Cutter

Yard stick, or Ruler

Fabric of your choice

Luckily, cutting mats have a bias line already on them, which makes this process very easy if you have these tools.  Here is the line that I'm point to which will cut your fabric on a 45° angle.

I've chosen this beautiful white eyelet fabric to complement the main bib fabric.  I've started with one bias-cut shown here:

For the next step you'll have to decide how wide you want your finished bias tape to be.  The fabric will be folded into quarters (which we'll see), so you'll need to cut your fabric four times as wide as you want the finished bias tape to be.  I'm looking to use 1/2" finished bias tape, so I am cutting my strips 2" wide.  BONUS, my mom gave me these awesome clear quilter's measuring stick thingies from her days as a quilter.  You can see that this one is exactly 2" wide, which makes it even easier to cut and measure.

Here is the finished strip.  Cut a few of these to make as much bias tape as you need.

I've cut three from my fabric, which will be sufficient enough for use on this bib.

Now this part can get a little tricky.  You'll want to pin the pieces of bias tape together on a 90° angle like this.  I like the line up the original straight edge of the fabric, which will make a perfect 90° angle.

Now, to make a perfect sewing edge, mark where you will sew.  I've lost my small ruler, so I'm just using the back of gift card for this.  You'll want to mark a line that goes from one corner/edge of the overlapping fabric to the other like this:

Make sense?

Here we go!  Let's sew that bad boy up, following the line you just drew.

Here's the fabric after sewing.  You'll want to press (iron) the tabs apart and trim the edges that are peeking from the back.

Here it is after pressing and trimming.  Repeat this process with the other pieces of fabric that you cut out, making sure that you sew each one on the same side.

Now it's time to pull out your bias-tape maker from the Scientific Seamstress that you've printed and assembled!  (You don't need this to move forward, it just helps)

Thread your bias tape through the large side of the paper, and it will fold quite nicely as you pull it through (with a little help from you).  Have your iron ready to press the folds down as they come through the folder.

You'll end up with something that looks like this:

Now you'll have to fold the bias tape yourself.  Simply fold the tape in half, and press as you go, with the previous folds on the inside of the new fold.

Like this:

When you finish, this is what the finished product will look like up close.

Now you're ready to use your new homemade bias tape!!  Stay tuned for part 3 of the Bib Series, where we attach the bias tape and finish up!

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