How to Sew a Hem With Bias Binding

June 27, 2017 · 2 Comments

How to Sew a Hem With Bias Binding

Whenever I make something with a curved hem, my favourite way to finish it is to sew the hem with bias binding.

As bias binding stretches with the curved edge, it’s perfect for finishing a hem on a circle or half circle skirt. I also often use it for finishing armholes and necklines as well.

Usually I sew the bias binding on so that it is visible. But while I was watching the Great British Sewing Bee last year, I discovered that there’s actually another way to sew a hem with bias binding, so that the binding is not visible on the outside.

I love the idea of this because it’s like having a bag with a pretty lining. Other people might not see it but I know it’s there!

I’ve been wanting to try it out for a while, and the opportunity presented itself a couple of weeks ago when I was turning this top into a dress.

I was happy with the results, although I could have used a narrower bias binding. If I had, the results would probably have been neater, as the stitching is quite high up and I think it would look nicer if it was closer to the bottom of the hem.

Here’s how to sew a hem with bias binding if you want to have a go yourself!

Sewing a Hem With Bias Binding

You Will Need

Enough bias binding to go around the hem of your skirt (the 16 mm stuff will be fine, you don’t need it to be very wide), plus a bit extra, an iron and ironing board, usual sewing supplies.

Binding the Hem

1. Take one end of your bias binding and open it out a bit. Unless you’re sewing something small, leaving it on the roll or folded up will be easiest.

2. Starting somewhere that won’t show too much (the side’s a good place), pin one end of the bias binding to the edge that you are binding. The right sides need to be together, so pin it face down to the right side of your skirt.

Don’t worry about pinning it right the way round. Just a few cm to get you started will do fine.

3. Ensure that the edges are aligned, then sew the rest of the bias binding to the right side of the skirt. Keep the stitches as close as you can to the fold nearest to the edge, without actually sewing over the fold.

When you get back to where you started, sew a little bit more so that the ends overlap.

4. With the iron, press the seam you have just sewn away from the bias binding and towards the skirt. Turn it over and press it again to make sure that the seam is nice and neat.

5. Now fold the bias binding over so that it is underneath, and press again.

6. Keeping close to the other folded edge this time, sew the bias binding in place.

There you have it! One bound hem where the bias binding is not visible.

I love the idea of having pretty bias binding on the inside that nobody knows is there! Here are some links to bias binding on Minerva Crafts. These are affiliate links.

Linking up here.

How To Sew a Half Circle Skirt Without a Pattern

October 18, 2016 · 3 Comments

How To Sew a Half Circle Skirt Without a Pattern

I love circle skirts.

They are very easy and quick to make and you don’t need a pattern. They suit pretty much every body shape and they are lovely and swirly to wear.

The only downside is that you need a lot of fabric.

While having a rummage for something the other week, I found a couple of metres of cotton jersey that I’d bought for something and never used.

2 metres is not enough to make a circle skirt for somebody of my dimensions, but it’s plenty for making a half circle skirt!

So that is what I did :).

Being made from jersey, it didn’t need a zip. There was less of it to cut out and less of it to sew, so it was quicker to make.

I used stretch bias binding to finish the hem (affiliate link).

Bias binding is my favourite way to finish the hem of a circle or a half circle skirt as they can be fiddly to hem normally. I opted for a contrast colour instead of aiming for the same colour and it not being quite the same. It’s actually the pinkness at the bottom of the skirt that is my favourite thing about it!

How to Make a Half Circle Skirt

You Will Need

2 metres of jersey fabric, 3 metres of stretch bias binding, usual sewing supplies, but check your measurements first!

Calculating Your Measurements

This involves doing some maths but please don’t panic if maths is not your thing! It’s not difficult maths.

Decide how long you want the skirt to be. 60 cm is a good length for most people.

Measure around your waist and add 4 cm. This is to allow for a 1 cm seam.

Take that number and divide by 3.14, or pi. There’ll be a pi button on your calculator, and probably a calculator on your phone if you don’t have one. Or you could just divide by 3.14.

Add the answer to the length of the skirt. This is the size of square you will need.

So my waist measurement plus 4 extra cm was 97 cm. Divided by pi, this was roughly 31 cm. I added 31 cm to 60 cm, giving me 91 cm.

So I needed to cut 2 squares of fabric 91 cm x 91 cm.

That’s the hardest part, the rest is easy!

Cutting Out

1. Take your 2 squares of fabric and lay them out wrong sides together. If you are using a directional print, make sure that both squares are the same way up.

2. Remember the number you ended up with after you divided your waist measurement? Take that number and measure down from the top of the squares by that amount. Pin, then using a tape measure, measure all the way round the top quarter. Mark with pins.My advice is always to iron your fabric first. As you can see, I need to take my own advice!

3. Now take that number added to the skirt length and measure down from the top corner. Mark at the side with a pin, then measure all the way across the bottom of the corner circle.

4. Cut where you have pinned. You should end up with 2 pieces that look like a quarter of a doughnut.

5. From the fabric that is left, cut a strip of fabric 10 cm wide and as long as your waist measurement plus the extra cm. It might be necessary to cut 2 strips. You’ll need the waistband to stretch, so check that the grain is running up and down the waistband, not side to side.

Sewing Up

1. Take your 2 quarter circles and, with the right sides together, pin the side seams. Try it on to check that it fits. Adjust the pins if necessary.

2. Sew up the side seams.

3. Take the waistband strips and pin them together. Check them against the skirt to ensure that the seams will match, then sew the waistband pieces together.

4. With the waistband wrong side up, pin it to the wrong side of the skirt. Start by matching the side seams. Sew the waistband to the wrong side of the skirt.

5. Fold the waistband over the top of the skirt. Tuck the raw edge of the waistband underneath and pin it to the top of the skirt.

6. Top stitch around the waistband, keeping close to the bottom edge.

7. Starting at one of the side seams, fold one end of the bias binding over and pin it to the bottom of the skirt on the wrong side. Sew the bias binding all around the bottom of the skirt.

When you get back to where you started, overlap the bias binding by a cm or 2. Sew it in place and cut off the rest.

8. Fold the bias binding over bottom edge of the skirt, tucking the raw edge of the bias binding inwards. Top stitch all the way round.

When you get back to the start, carefully fold the ends of the bias binding over and sew in place.

9. Put on you half circle skirt and wait for the compliments!If you liked this tutorial, you might also like these:

Cherry Blossom Dress Without a Pattern

Circle Skirt Without a Pattern

Skirt With Godets Tutorial

Foofy Skirt Tutorial (this has a link to a tutorial I wrote for the Minerva Crafts Bloggers’ Network)

Tips For Making Clothes Without a Pattern

You might also like to take a look at my ebook Making Clothes Without a Pattern: 6 Easy Projects to Kickstart Your Handmade Wardrobe.

You can also sign up to receive updates and free stuff and you’ll be sent a printable copy of the circle skirt tutorial, complete with a page to record your measurements! There’s a form below.

Linking up here.

How to Make Bias Binding An Easy Tutorial!

July 6, 2016 · 1 Comment

How to Make Bias Binding

It’s easier than you might think to make bias binding!

Why Use Bias Binding?

Bias binding is probably my favourite way to finish a raw edge.

It is the easiest way to finish the hem of a circle skirt. You could faff about folding and pinning and probably do it neatly, but it is tricky and fiddly. Using bias binding is so much easier because it stretches, so the curve of the hem is not a problem.

It’s great for necklines too. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but I can never get facings to sit right or to stay put. I understitch them but they still pop out.Sometimes I’ll make a lining and that solves the problem, but not everything needs a lining.

So that’s when I whip out the bias binding! It’s a quick and easy way of finishing a neckline that results in a nice, neat finish. I bind the neckline, but there is also a way of doing them with the bias binding where it is not visible. I’ve seen it on The Great British Sewing Bee. It’s not something I’ve tried yet but it’s on my list!

It’s good for finishing armholes as it avoids the facings issue here too.

If the thing I’ve made has sleeves, I’ll use bias binding to finish them rather than hemming, not because it’s to fiddly to hem a sleeve but because I like how it looks when everything matches!

It’s also possible to buy stretch bias binding for working with knits. It’s not that easy to find, but Minerva Crafts have a cotton stretch version and a cheaper version with lycra (affiliate links).

The only downside is that if you buy it ready made, it’s not always possible to get the exact shade or print to match the thing you have made.

This is where making your own can be the answer!

How to Make Your Own Bias Binding

You Will Need

Fabric, ideally a square but enough to be able to cut some longish lengths on the diagonal, ruler or tape measure, pencil, rotary cutter and mat or scissors. A bias binding gadget thing is nice to have, but you can make it without one (these are affiliate links).

Cutting Out

To make bias binding, it needs to be cut on the bias, in other words, diagonally. This is what allows it to stretch a bit and why it is so great for using on curved edges.

Cut your piece of fabric into a square and fold in half diagonally.

Decide how wide you need your bias binding to be. Consider how much of it you want showing and remember that it will be folded in half with the edges tucked inside. If you want to have about 1 cm showing, your bias strips will need to be 3 – 4 cm wide.

As the first strip will be cut where you have folded, it will need to be half the width of the other strips. The next strips will need to be the full width. Measure, then mark with a pencil.

Cut the strips out.

If you need to join them, match the ends so that they are at right angles.

Sew across the corner diagonally.

Trim and press the seam.

If you are not using a bias binding gadget, fold the strip in half length ways. Fold the edges inwards. Pin, then press with the iron.

If you are using a gadget, thread the strip through the wide end until it comes out of the narrow end. Pull the strip through and iron it as you go.

Tips

Using the gadget gets easier with practice, so if your first attempt is a bit messy, don’t worry! Just have another go.
It is easier if the strips are wider rather than narrow. Obviously you need to be able to get them into the gadget, but if they are a bit to thin, it is definitely harder.
Keep checking that the strip is lined up correctly at the wide end of the gadget.
When pressing the bias binding, you could either push the gadget up with the iron, or you could throw all caution to the wind, grab the strip on the other side of the iron and pull it through quickly.

If you make bias binding yourself, it is a bit of a faff. It takes longer and it is much easier to buy it. If I wanted 10 metres or more, I would probably buy some ready made. But if you just need a little bit, it’s nice to have some that matches your project perfectly!

I bought my bias binding maker tool from Minerva Crafts. They also have them on Amazon. These are affiliate links.
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Linking up here.

How to Sew on Bias Binding

September 17, 2015 · 6 Comments

As a little girl, I used to enjoy rummaging through my mum’s blanket box full of left over fabric and the cubby of her sewing machine where she kept other bits and bobs.

I can remember finding masses of bias binding, wondering what on earth it was for and why my mum had so much of it!

Now of course I know that bias binding has lots of uses!

One way in which it can be used is to finish the raw edge on a skirt instead of hemming. It is actually my favourite way of finishing the hem on a circle skirt because the curve of the circle actually makes it quite difficult to hem neatly. This is what I did to finish this circle skirt and my favourite summer dress.

It can also be used to finish necklines. I have said before in this post how I try to avoid using facings. They never stay put! Using bias binding to finish a neckline is much easier, neater and quicker! This is how I finished the neckline of this dress.

Bias binding can also be used to hold side seams together and, if sewn to the right side of an item, add a decorative finish. I have also used it to finish raw edges on bags and purses.

With all kinds of colours, widths and even prints, there is no reason not to use it! And if you can’t find some that you like, it is very easy to make your own!

How to Sew On Bias Binding

1. When you buy bias binding, it will usually come with the raw edges pressed lengthways inwards to the middle.

When you sew it, one of the raw edges will be sewn to the wrong side. The other raw edge will be tucked underneath and sewn onto the other side.

So the first thing to do is to fold the bias binding in half lengthways. If you will be sewing only a small piece, cut it off the roll first, allowing a few extra cm. If you are sewing several metres of it, leave it on the roll and fold it as you go.

2. Unfold the bias binding and pin one of the raw edges to the raw edge of your garment, on the wrong side. Neatly fold the short end over.

If you start at a seam, the folded end of the bias binding will be less obvious.

If you are going to be sewing masses of it, just pin the at the start and line up the raw edges as you sew.

3. Sew all the way around, keeping close to the raw edge. If your fabric looks like it might fray, use a zigzag or an overcasting stitch.

Cut the bias binding so that the ends overlap by about a cm. You don’t need to bother with folding the end over.

4. Fold the bias binding over so that the raw edges are enclosed. This is where having already folded it in half lengthways will really help!

5. Pin it in place, then sew all the way round, keeping close to the edge of the bias binding.

6. When you are a couple of cm away from being back to where you started, check that the end is tucked under neatly, then sew over it. You might need to add a couple of stitches by hand, although I don’t usually!

If you want to make your own bias binding, there’s a gadget you can use.
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If you enjoyed this post, you might also like these!

How to Finish a Neckline How to Finish Seams How to Attach a Waistband How to Alter a Dress !0 Tips to Make Sewing Projects Easier