[Tehra]

I have never made bias tape before and I have a question. The instructions for the messenger bag call for 1/2″ homemade bias tape. I purchased a 1/2″ bias tape maker, but do I really need a 1″ bias tape maker? Is it supposed to have 1/2″ folded bias tape? I am a little confused and any help that anyone could give me would be appreciated! Thanks!

[JohannaO]

When you open 1/2″ bias tape, it is 2 inches wide- so each strip needs to be 2 inches, and then folded in half, and again towards the middle. There is a great tutorial for making yards and yards of bias tape that I have loved-

http://pir8.freeservers.com/quilting/CBT/

The description is a bit wordy, but I can make yards of it at a time.

[daisygirl78]

Yes, Johanna, this is the method I use, and though it’s a bit confusing the first time you do it (I mean the part where you offset the lines and sew it together into a wonky tube), you do get miles and miles of lovely bias tape. Mind you, I didn’t have good diagrams like this one to help me when I first learned this method. Is it just me, or does it seem like the “joins” are further apart this way than if you use the cut and join method?

[Tehra]

Thanks for the replies! I think that I have the actual construction of the strips understood. The only problem that I have is whether I actually have the correct bias tape maker. It does not appear that 2″ of fabric is going to go into the thing. I could be wrong. It looks like it will take 1″ of fabric and fold it to 1/2″. Then you would have to fold it in half and it would then the 1/4″ double fold tape. I don’t know. I guess I need to contruct the strips and see what happens. Thanks again!

[Sarvi]

If it helps, it should be about one inch wide at the tip, because it’s going to fold the two edges in to meet the middle.

[meleliza]

If the finished size of the bias tape trim will be 1/2″, you need to start with a 2″ wide strip of fabric. It will be folded in half twice. In the store, this would be called 1/2″ double fold OR 1″ single fold. So you need a 1″ bias tape maker, which will fold a 2″ strip in half into 1″ and you iron it half again on your own to get 1/2″. Confusing, isn’t it?

[Tehra]

Thank you meleliza! You confirmed what I was thinking. I need a different bias tape maker. My maker is apparently 1/2″ single fold which just will not do. Thank you for answering!

[Nicole]

A wide souvenir ruler makes great bias binding.

[Liesl Gibson]

Chiming in a little late here, but you can also stick pins into your ironing board instead of using a bias tape maker. Here is an example of the concept. I do it a little differently, but this will get you similar results:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rbWXj9PNRB8J:creativelittledaisy.typepad.com/creative_little_daisy/2007/11/diy-version-of.html+folding+bias+strips+with+pins&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com