DIY: How To Make Your Own Binding Tape

how to make your own bias tape
Photo via Flickr

How many yards of extra material do you have lying around, shoved in boxes, or littering the floor of your sewing room? Enough to circle the planet? Maybe twice? And, perhaps more importantly: What are you planning to do with it all?

West Coast Crafty blogger and CreativeLive instructor Susan Beal shared this simple tutorial, which teaches you how to make your own binding tape, also called bias tape, out of old scraps. Bias tape is super-useful in sewing; not only does it look adorable, it can also help lend structural integrity to apparel and other items.

All you need is:
–Some old material
–A rotary cutter (or really, really good sewing skills)
–A ruler or cutting mat
–An iron and ironing board
–A binding tape maker

A binding tape maker is a small, inexpensive instrument that helps guide your material into the shape that you need it to be. It is possible to make binding tape without one, so long as you’re very meticulous about your ironing.

Once you’ve got your materials together, you’re ready to go. And if you want to see even more great tutorials from Susan, check out her class, Simple Sewing Projects For Beginners.

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Hanna Brooks Olsen is a writer and editor for CreativeLive, longtime reporter, and the co-founder of Seattlish. Follow her on Twitter at @mshannabrooks or go to her website for more stuff.