Binding with Bias

You know you're not done with a quilt until you put on the binding. There are as many ways to do that as there are quilters. Some of us love it, some of us hate it. But if you want your quilt protected you have to finish the edges somehow.

commercial bias

Since we've been talking about bias, we thought we ought to include the queen of bias, bias tape.
Many quilters prefer bias binding for the smooth edges it gives, even with curves.

You can buy packaged bias in a lot of colors, but that doesn't always mean it will match your quilt. Is it the same weight? The same shade of red? The same fabric content? Most commercial bias is poly cotton rather than all cotton and it does look different.

Bias binding is simply fabric cut along the bias in even widths. Usually it's folded and sewed along the folds. Traditionally is folded in 4ths, so if you have a two inch wide strip your finished binding will by one half inch.

picture by Liesl Gibson

Once you sew the strips together, you can fold it using a bias tape maker.

Bias Tape folded from Sew4home

Your own bias will match your quilt it a way commercial bias never will. Besides striped fabric always looks fabulous on the bias.

Of course commercial bias is sort of like instant mashed potatoes. It's there in a hurry but it's never quite as good.