A tutorial - for Tania

A while ago Tania of Myrtle and Eunice asked me to provide a tutorial for my bias binding (I say my bias binding because I don't actually know if it's the correct way, it's just the way I do it...). I was really flattered actually as I am such a small fish so here is my very first attempt at blogging how to do something....I hope it's OK.

Firstly, I want to apologise for the lighting....it's crappy, but I think the pictures are still OK.

I hope I don't start writing like I am talking to 3 year olds...I have never done this before.



I use a standard ruler that I bought at Officeworks, it is 2" wide. Some people hate inches, I used to but I like how inches are bigger than centimeters, so much easier to measure! My bias is usually the width of this ruler, I have a smaller ruler about 1" wide which is great to make skinner bias for more delicate clothing, I like skinny bias on my clothes but fat bias on the kid's clothes....anyway, use your ruler of choice as your measurement for the width of your bias. Put your ruler on the diagonal of your fabric, as above.


I use a normal ball point pen to rule my lines, I don't own a fabric marker, I used to have lots of nice supplies but the kids ransack my stuff all the time so now I just use a standard pen. Draw lines on the top of the ruler and on the bottom to make a 2 " strip. Rule as many lines as you like.

These lines are straight I promise, but you get the idea of just drawing lines on top and under the ruler right?

Now just cut them out! Easy!

This might make me look a little dodgy ... but on all your strips you will have little diagonal points, there is a way you can sew these diagonals together but I don't know how to do that so I just...

Lop them off...just like that!

Now sew them together, right sides together and I use a 1cm seam allowance.

Iron your seams open, you can trim them if you want but I find it's not too bulky at all this way. I use the steam option on my iron, it really needs to be good and hot.


What you want to do now is iron the long ends into the middle of the strip as above, careful because your fingers are likely to get burnt by steam...it's an occupational hazard. Some people at this point use a bias tool but I found with mine that if my strips were not exactly 2" or whatever the width of the tool then I couldn't pull the fabric through it so that is why I do it this way now. You can also iron the strip in half first to get the middle but I just guess.


Now fold the strip in half and iron nice and flat. This obviously is helpful when you are placing your bias on a sleeve, or neckline or whatever but sometimes I don't do this if I am using bias for a casing because obviously you don't need the centre for a casing.

Now roll it around your fingers to make a gorgeous coil like this and stare at it for a while because it's beautiful and you made it!!