Bias binding..ahh, those words used to make me put my project in a corner lol. But not anymore! With some practice, bias binding and I are slowly becoming friends. Although we are now playing nice, I make no claims to be a bias binding expert.
There are thousands of bias binding tips and tricks floating around the World Wide Web (I’ve tried a few of them-um, the 3 yards out of a FQ trick did not work for me! ….I might try again at a later time)…. but for now, I thought I’d snap some photos of my process in case you are interested!
Let’s begin with Exhibit A: Heart Project Bag Pattern (pattern in my Etsy Shop)…just look at those curves! Bias binding is a must!
Click here for my Etsy Shop pattern: Heart Project Bag Pattern
Cut Strips
Since this is a small project, I used a Fat Quarter for my strips (Lori Holt Fabric-one of my favorites!).
Lay the 22″ side of the FQ horizontally, and place the 45 degree angle ruler line along the fabric bottom edge.
I placed the ruler in the middle of the fabric to begin cutting longer strips…less joining later!
Once I made the first cut, I moved my ruler over and measured 2.5″ to create the first strip. My go-to binding size is 2.5″. When I’m feeling adventerous, I’ll switch it up and cut 2.25″…. but for the most part…always 2.5″. Feel free to cut your favorite binding size!
Join Strips
Once I had my three strips, I trimmed as show below. I believe others join as is, with a little adjustment, but I just prefer to trim and join as I would for straight-grain binding…it works well for me.
Lay the strips right sides together forming a 90 degree angle and sew from corner to corner on the drawn line.
Press open or as desired.
…trim 1/4″ from seam….
…this is the front of the binding…nicely joined.
..repeat with the remaining strips. Fold in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press….
..and bam…bias binding!
Attach Binding To Project
Now for the fun part…attaching bias binding to a project. Start with the end you are going to attach first. Trim 45 degrees and fold over 1/4″.
Tip: Use Double Stick Fusible Tape to help keep it nice and snug. Trim the little point.
Refold and lay it on the project. Use a 1/4″ seam allowance and stitch on the below lines. Leave an opening to tuck in the remaining binding.
..sew the bias binding really slow…keeping it lined up with the edge of the bag…very gently.. no pulling so you don’t anger it lol…
..near the end, trim the ends at an angle, so the remaining binding fits in the nice little home we created for it. Stitch closed.
Oh, by the way, are you wondering why there is a piece of paper under the project? …it’s because vinyl doesn’t always glide smoothly through the machine when sewing. A paper under the project helps so much! I don’t sew through the paper…I just keep moving it around as a guide.
Once binding is stitched to one side, gently flip it over allowing it to naturally take shape and clip into place.
Once I became comfortable with machine binding, I started attaching binding to the back and stitching down to the front, using a zipper foot to help keep my stitches neat.
Choose whichever method you feel most comfortable with: either stitch to the front, hand stitch the back….stitch to the back, machine stitch to the front…it’s up to you!
…and that is it, folks…bias binding is attached!!
…and this is what the back looks like….
You Got This!
If you don’t feel comfortable with bias binding, it’s okay! I was terrified of it once before….but with practice, you will get it!
Just remember to go slow and don’t anger it..lol…I hope this little blog post helps. Happy Sewing!
Thank you so much. This is the best tutorial on bias binding I have come across! I’ve made several of your vinyl pouches and will have to try this cute heart-shaped one as well. Thanks for sharing.
Awe thank you so much, Tonia! I’m so happy it was helpful!