Make endless bias tape without wasting a metre of fabric
Most home sewists reach for the small cardboard-wrapped bias binding at the haberdashery counter without thinking twice. Yet once you learn how to make a continuous bias tape from fabric, the rolls in your drawer start to feel surprisingly limiting. A handmade strip lets you pick the exact weight, fibre and print that suits your project, and it stretches just enough to glide around curved necklines, armholes and quilt edges without puckering.
The continuous method is the secret weapon of experienced dressmakers. Instead of cutting dozens of strips and stitching them end to end, you cut a single square, join two edges and slice it in a spiralling motion. The strip emerges in one long unbroken length, ready to be pressed, folded and applied wherever you need a flexible, professional finish.
For makers working on handmade wardrobes, the technique is genuinely liberating. If you are sewing a summer dress for a Brisbane afternoon, a breathable linen bias binding will sit far more comfortably than a synthetic shop-bought version. If you are binding a cot quilt with a sentimental fabric picked up at a Melbourne op shop, the continuous approach means you can preserve every scrap without turning it into a jigsaw of short strips.
The process itself is straightforward once you understand the geometry, but there are a few details that make the difference between a strip that fights you and a satisfying roll of perfectly even tape. The following sections walk through fabric selection, the cutting and joining sequence, pressing choices, handy uses around the handmade wardrobe and storage tips for your finished rolls.
Choosing the right fabric and tools
Bias tape made at home begins with a square of cloth, and the fabric you choose will shape how the finished binding behaves. Lightweight cottons, lawns and shirtings produce a soft, supple strip ideal for binding necklines, while a strip cut from quilting cotton gives a touch more body and a crisp edge when pressed. For dressier projects, silk or rayon bias tape disappears into a seam, and for more structured garments a piece of cotton sateen or a light wool works beautifully.
When sourcing materials locally, the bigger chain stores such as Spotlight and Lincraft stock a reliable range of cotton lawns and shirtings across the country, from the sprawling Sydney flagship stores to smaller outlets in regional towns like Ballarat and Bundaberg. Speciality retailers such as tessuti in Surry Hills, The Fabric Store in Melbourne and Brisbane, and Missy Malone Fabrics in Adelaide carry a deeper selection of dressmaking weaves if you want something a little different. Op shops run by Salvos and Vinnies can also be a treasure trove, particularly for vintage tablecloths, doilies and shirt fabrics that yield long bias strips when cut cleverly.
For tools, gather a rotary cutter or sharp fabric scissors, a quilting ruler, a marking pencil or chalk, a steam iron, and a few pins or fabric clips. A bias tape maker is optional but handy, and the 25 mm plastic version is the most versatile size for dressmaking. A wooden pressing bar or a rolled-up tea towel helps you push the strip into shape without scorching your fingers on a hot iron plate.
Before you cut anything, wash and dry your chosen fabric the way you intend to launder the finished garment. Australian summer humidity in places like Darwin and Townsville can cause cotton to shrink noticeably on the first wash, and pre-washing removes the sizing that makes fresh fabric feel stiff. Press the square flat so your measurements stay accurate, then square up the edges with a rotary blade before marking your cutting lines.
Cutting and joining the square into a loop
The continuous bias trick relies on a simple geometry lesson. A square of fabric has two diagonals running corner to corner, and true bias runs at forty-five degrees to the straight grain. Cutting along that diagonal gives a strip with maximum stretch, which is why bias binding curves around sleeves and collars so smoothly while a straight strip would pucker and pull.
To begin, cut a true square of your chosen fabric. The size of the square determines both the length and the width of the finished strip, so plan carefully. A 50 cm square yields roughly four metres of 25 mm finished tape, while a one metre square produces around eight metres. Sticking with centimetres keeps the maths tidy, especially since most Australian pattern books and independent Australian PDF designers work in metric measurements.
Mark a single line on the wrong side of the square running parallel to one edge at a distance equal to your finished strip width. Stitch the two opposite short edges of the square together right sides facing, leaving a gap in the middle of the seam roughly the width of your intended strip. Press the seam open. You now have a fabric tube which, when laid flat, reveals a parallelogram shape ready to be sliced into one long spiral.
This is the moment where the technique earns its name. Starting from the unstitched gap, cut along the marked line and continue around the square, following the spiral until you reach the end. As you cut, the strip will unwind in a single unbroken run, like peeling an apple skin in one continuous ribbon. Keep the edges aligned as you go and resist the temptation to stretch the fabric, which would distort the finished tape.
If you are new to the method, a quick practice run on a spare piece of calico saves frustration later. The first time you snip into a tube and see the spiral emerge, you will understand why experienced makers never bother cutting individual strips again.
Pressing techniques for a clean finish
Once your continuous strip is cut, the next step is pressing, which folds the raw edges inward and gives the tape its finished look. There are three common styles, and the table below compares them so you can match the binding to your project with confidence.
| Style | Construction | Ideal uses | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single fold bias | Both raw edges pressed toward the centre, no final fold | Quilting, gathered waistbands, exposed ties | Raw edges visible inside the fold when pressed open |
| Double fold bias | Raw edges pressed to centre, then folded again in half | Necklines, armholes, bindings that must fully enclose the edge | A flat, fully enclosed edge with no raw fabric showing |
| Bias binding flange | One raw edge left flat, the other folded twice | Decorative inserts, contrast cuffs, statement edges | A wider band of fabric revealed on the right side |
For most dressmaking applications, double fold bias tape is the practical default because it encloses the raw edge completely and looks tidy from both sides of the seam. Pin the strip wrong sides together along the length before pressing, then refold along the original centre crease. A wooden pressing bar or a Clover bias maker simplifies the process and keeps your fingers safely away from the iron plate.
Steam is your friend when pressing cotton, but go gently with delicate fibres. If you are working with a silk or rayon strip cut from a metre of fabric sourced from tessuti in Surry Hills or a Brisbane weekend market stall, test the iron temperature on a scrap first. Australian tap water can leave mineral marks on dark bias strips, so use a press cloth or a fine mist of distilled water if you notice spotting.
Allow the pressed tape to rest for a few minutes before you wind it onto a cardboard core or into a loose ball. The cooling period helps the creases set, which means the strip will lie flat when you finally pin it to your project rather than unfolding lazily under the needle.
Practical uses across your handmade wardrobe
Bias tape earns its place in the sewing room because it solves problems that straight-grain binding cannot. Around a scooped neckline, around a sleeveless armhole, or along a curved hem, the slight stretch of bias tape lets the binding sit flat without ripples or tucks. It is also a quick fix for stabilising a stretched neckline on a ready-made garment, especially when you want to match a print rather than rely on shop-bought binding in an awkward shade.
If you are constructing a shirt dress or a wrap top, use continuous bias tape to bind the inside of a facing or to finish a deep V-neck where facings would add unwanted bulk. Quilters love the method because a long spiral strip can bind an entire cot quilt without a single join, and the joins in bias-bound quilts are usually the first place wear shows up after a few washes. Bag makers also reach for handmade bias tape to bind curved handles, pocket tops and zip ends, where a strip cut on the straight grain would pucker immediately.
When you need your bindings to follow the contours of the body precisely, accurate measurements make the difference between a professional finish and a wobbly one. If you would like a refresher on capturing your figures correctly, the guide on how to take accurate body measurements for sewing walks through the process step by step. Knowing your neck circumference, armhole depth, waist and hip measurements helps you calculate exactly how much tape to cut for each new garment before you even reach for the rotary cutter.
For gifts, a roll of handmade bias tape tied with a length of natural twine and a hand-written card makes a thoughtful present for a crafty friend. Pair it with a fat quarter from your stash and a small pack of glass-head pins, and you have a tidy little sewing kit that costs very little to assemble but looks thoughtful and considered.
Storage and care tips
Handmade bias tape, like any precious sewing supply, keeps best when stored with a little thought. Wind the pressed strip onto a piece of cardboard cut from a cereal box, secure both ends with a pin or a small piece of tape, and label the core with the fabric type, finished width and approximate length. A short label saves you from unravelling three rolls on the floor before you remember which one is the floral lawn and which is the linen-cotton blend from the Adelaide Sunday market.
Stash the rolls in a shallow drawer or a labelled basket on your sewing shelf. Avoid plastic bags in warmer climates such as Perth or Cairns, where trapped moisture can encourage mildew on natural fibres over a long, humid summer. A cotton drawstring bag, the kind that often comes bundled with fabric orders from The Fabric Store, lets the strips breathe and keeps dust at bay without sealing in dampness.
Before you start a new project, give the end of the roll a quick press to refresh any creases that may have flattened in storage. If the tape has lost its crispness from sitting in a drawer through a sticky Sydney or Brisbane summer, a light steam press brings it back to life without distorting the folds. Keep small offcuts in a glass jar for binding buttonholes, finishing handmade care labels, or tying little bundles of fabric samples for swap days with friends.
Now that you have a fresh roll of homemade continuous bias tape ready to go, pin a small project to the corkboard and put it through its paces this weekend. A simple tea towel hem, a child's sundress or a binding strip around a freshly stitched apron are all forgiving first outings that let you practise pinning and stitching the tape accurately.
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