How to Sew Bias Tape. The best 3 methods out there.

Today, we will learn how to sew bias tape on the edge of your projects. 

I will show you the best 3 ways to do it, so you can choose which one you like the best. 

All of these examples are made with my homemade bias tape, which I made without tools or a maker. Depending on your needs, you can make your own or use a commercial one.

This tutorial is one that I have had on my mind for a long time now. 

There are a lot of ways to sew bias-binding tape. 

As always, it will depend on the type of project you are working on and the finish you want for it. 

I will show you my top 3 favorite ways to do it this time. 

In the first one, I am showing you the classic or traditional method of sewing your binding tape. 

The second method is by far the easiest and is perfect for finishing simple projects such as hems or raw edges of simple projects. 

Finally, the third one. Oh, I saved the best for last. 

The third method of sewing bias tape is for when you want a high-end, clean finish. 

I grant it is a little trickier, but it is totally worth it. Believe me. 

But first, let’s dive in a little on the bias tape topic.

What is bias tape used for in sewing?

Bias tape is one fun way to finish the edges of your seams or projects. 

It can be used to sew necklines, quilts, aprons, hems, and so much more! 

Its most common use is to finish the raw edges of the fabric on a project or garment. 

For example, to cover a garment’s inner seams that don’t have a lining. 

You can also use it to make a contrasting accent on pillows by using it with piping or on the edge of placemats and fabric coasters.

I have also used it to make straps by sewing them on the armholes of spaghetti strap tops. 

Actually, I used it recently to sew a channel for the edge of my DIY Ironing Board Cover. It looks amazing. 

With this lovely green bias tape, which I made myself, I am going to make some fabric boxes and sew the tops of the raw edges with it.

How to sew bias tape

The simple way to explain how to sew double-folded bias tape is to open the tape and join it with the edge of the fabric. Then, you cover this part with the rest of the bias tape and topstitch the other side. 

Don’t worry. I will explain it in detail here. 

As I told you, I will show you three techniques for binding. 

• The Traditional one
• The Easy one
• The Clean one 

You can jump to see your preferred one, but I highly suggest that you check out all of them to see which one you like the best.

There is also a video summary of all the techniques at the end of the picture explanation, so you can scroll down to see it.

Remember that you can now print all the sewing instructions with our printable card at the bottom of this post.

And! Don’t miss the final bonus on how to close your bias tape, which ends at the very end of this post.

1. The Traditional Way. How do you put bias binding on?

To sew double-folded bias tape, you first open the folded raw edges in the center and pin the raw edges of the tape and the fabric with the right sides together. 

Now, you can do the first step in 2 ways. 

One is that you can machine or hand-baste this part of the tape just over the fold of the tape. 

The other one is simply to sew along over the bias tape fold. 

As you can see in my picture, I folded the beginning of the edge of the bias. 

You can do this if this is the only area of bias you will sew to have a nice finish on the ends. 

Make sure you are sewing either right on top of the fold or slightly on the right side. 

If you grab the seam on the left side of the fold, you will have trouble. This is because you will take the fabric from the side of the tape that will cover the seam.

By doing this, there will not be enough tape to cover the stitches by the time you reach the other side.

The next thing to do is to push the fabric seam allowance inside the tape. 

Then, cover it and pin it with the rest of the tape. 

In this step, you want to double-check that the edge of the bias tape that has yet to be sewn covers the stitches underneath it.

Finally, sew the bias cover at least ⅛” away from the border facing the fabric. 

This is so you can catch the other side of the fabric at almost the same distance. 

This technique is perfect for use on quilts, placemats, or anything of thicker layers.

2. The easiest way to sew bias tape. The sandwich method.

This is my favorite technique as a person who likes to make everything as efficient as possible.

And the best thing is that it needs almost no preparation whatsoever. 

In fact, you can take the whole piece under the foot of the machine and start sewing. 

This technique works best with thin layers of fabrics. 

You can use it on hems projects, cover seam allowances, or finish necklines or armholes.

For this technique, you only have to place the raw edge of the fabric between the folds of the tape. 

And then sew it. As simple as that.

If you feel a little uncertain about getting it right, you can pin your piece first and then sew it. 

But if you feel adventurous, do it as you go. 

The only tip I can give you is to make sure the raw edge of the fabric is actually in between the tape the whole time. 

Also, sew at least ⅛” away from the bias’s open edge to ensure you catch both sides. 

And that is that. 

3. A high-end finish for bias tape. The Clean technique.

This technique is not always my first choice. You know, because I am a little lazy sometimes. 

It is the one that I think looks the best. 

If you want to have a neat, beautiful finish, this is the technique you want to use. 

Use this method when you want the outer side of the bias tape to appear without exposed seams. 

It could be used, for example, on the edge of the pockets of a nice jacket. 

Well, really, on anything that you want to make nicer. 

With this technique, we will start as we did with the traditional method.

Open the bias tape and pin the raw-edged fabric together. 

But wait! 

Before you sew it, consider this tip. 

Instead of sewing right above the fold of the tape, you will sew 1/16″ or ⅛” on the right. 

This will give us extra fabric that we will need at the end. You will see why in a second.

After you make your first stitch, you will cover the seam allowance with the rest of the tape, as we did before. 

Except… 

This time, you have to make sure that the edge of the tape covers the seam you just made and passes it by ⅛”.

Pin everything.

And this time, I mean pin. 

This is a difficult technique to master on your own, so it’s better to be safe than to unpick seams.

Turn your piece upside down and get ready to sew. 

The trick here is that you will make your following line of stitching right under between the seam where the bias tape and the fabric meet. 

By doing this, you also have to catch the bottom side of the tape. This sewing technique is called “Stitch in the Ditch.”

Do you understand why I told you to pin it well? 

When I use this technique for my projects, I try to feel the bottom edge of the tape with my fingers. 

This way, I will make sure that I catch it with my stitch. 

When you finish, it should look like this.

The front or outer side will look clean, with almost no visible seams. 

And the backside will be the one with the line of stitches.

Video Summary on the three techniques on how to sew bias tape:

OK, now we know how to sew bias tape, but how do we close it?

I am glad you asked. 

There are also three ways you can close the ends of the bias tape. 

One is to sew the ends closed before finishing, but that is a whole other post. 

Today, I will show you the two quick and easy ways you can use to close your seams. 

And you can use them with the techniques you just learned about sewing bias tape. 

Ready? 

All right, let’s do this.

How to Finish bias tape ends?

1. Fold in first.

Remember how in the first method (the traditional) we fold the beginning of the bias tape? 

This technique is precisely what we need. 

When you start to sew either with the traditional method or with the clean method, you will fold the edge first like this. 

Start sewing, and when you get to the end, stop sewing and cut your bias ¼” or  ½” approximately after the beginning of the tape.

You will cover the folded tape with this extra tape. 

Then keep sewing. 

To close it on the other end, simply fold it and sew over it. 

Or if you are using the clean method right between the seams.

2. Fold in last

This bias closing technique is meant to be used only if you are going to use the Easy sewing bias tape method. 

Otherwise, it won’t work as expected. 

We are going to do the opposite of the closing method. 

With the sandwich method, you will start sewing your bias tape with a raw end. 

Then, when you are about to reach the finish line, you will stop and cut the tape with an extra ½”. 

You can do all of this right there in the sewing machine. But if you prefer, you can also remove the piece and pin it to achieve better results. 

After that, fold that extra piece in like this. 

That’s it. 

Finish sewing and backstitch.

I hope you liked this post and it was helpful to you and your projects.

There are more bias tape tutorials to come shortly, so keep posted. 

In the meantime, I recommend that you read how to make your own bias tape at home without a bias tape maker. 

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