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How To Apply Bias Binding To A Seam Edge
The example below shows how bias binding tape is applied to a facing edge, see our previous post to see how you can make your own bias binding tape and download our free binding template pattern here!
Firstly fold the bias binding short edge back on itself as shown, so that the wrong sides are together. If this is not done then there would be a raw fabric edge showing when the binding is turned over and sewn to the right side of the fabric.
With the right side of the binding placed to the wrong side of the fabric ,pin the edge of the binding, to the edge of the hem you are binding.
Ease the binding when going around curved edges, do not pull it, this is a gentle process. Easing the binding as opposed to stretching it, allows the binding to travel around curved edges easily.
Once pinned, stitch the binding in place, using the lower crease in the binding as a guide. When you return back the beginning (the folded over piece) overlap by around 1. 5 cm (half an inch) and trim off any excess.
Turn the binding over onto the right side of the fabric. Tuck the top fold down to meet the center line crease, and pin flat to the fabric.
Pattern pieces with bound edges do not need seam allowance adding. This is because the binding sits on the edge of the hem line. therefore if you decide to apply binding to an edge, for example a neckline, that already has seam allowance, then the seam allowance will need to be trimmed away.
Now you have this new skill – there are so many things you can do with bias binding tape –
- Use binding as an edge in place of a facing on armholes and necklines
- Use binding to neaten and finish internal seams
- Use as a design detail
- Ideal as a hem
- Fold in half and use as a tie
- Use as a casing to insert piping cord and insert between seams…
Happy Sewing!
P.S. This binding technique is the same type of sewing technique used to apply waistbands and collars etc.
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Make & Sew Your Own Bias Binding Tape
Click the link above to download your free PDF download of a bias binding template pattern!
Making bias binding can take a lot of fabric, therefore it is more economical to cut pieces that can be joined to form one long strip.
Joining the bias strips –
Trim the fabric strips that need to be joined as shown below. Use the binding template to make sure the joining lines are correctly cut.
Place the sections to be joined as shown, taking approximately half a centimetre or a 1/4 inch seam
allowance. The amount of seam allowance you take is not crucial, as long as the amount taken is even and the strips form a continuous line at the top and bottom when joined.
Now trim as shown and press the seam open.
Press the strip in half to form a gentle crease line.
Press each edge almost into the center crease, leave a tiny gap, watch your fingers with the iron.
If you are anything like me you will love making this gorgeous trim, particularly if you don’t have an overlocker
(serger). Please see my post – Applying Bias Binding for sewing instructions.
Happy Sewing!
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The 3D Face Mask Pattern
I have been making these face masks for family and friends, so thought I would share the pattern here on my blog – it’s totally free – you can make as many as you like, all I ask is that you don’t make money from them – I feel in times like this we should help others and not try to profit.
I made the first prototype and then adjusted the pattern to allow more space at the front for breathing.
Here is the pattern – simply open it as a PDF in Adobe Reader and print – let me know if you need any help – see below for the making guide.
You will need a piece of cotton fabric 20 cm x 60 cm to cut 2 layers
The mask can also be made of terry towelling and in that case you can cut 1 layer of fabric.
Sew a small dart at the top – for the nose. Now sew a dart seam at the base for the chin shaping. Press the seams – you will need to clip in at the chin shaping to allow you to press the seam open.
I pressed my nose darts in different directions, one to the left and one to the right – to avoid too much bulk at the nose.
Now place the 2 layers together with the right sides of the fabric facing outwards and use a straight stitch to hold the 2 layers together
Pin the pleats in position – in the direction shown on the pattern piece and sew with a straight stitch to secure. You can do the previous 2 steps all in one go if you are an experienced sewer!
I used FOE – Fold over elastic to bind my mask – mainly because I have plenty of it and also because it stretches so the ties are better. You can also use plain cotton bias binding – see my post on making your own bias binding https://modelistecreative.com/2018/02/19/make-sew-your-own-bias-binding-tape/
– or see my YouTube video on applying FOE if you need any help with this.
Bind the edges of the mask first – you have already secured the pleats in position with a holding stitch so this should be easier.
Now continue to apply binding to the top and bottom of the mask. I used elastic binding which allowed me to pull a little over the nose and under the chin to make the mask a snugger fit.
leave ends as ties – mine are 20 cm long – you may want them a little longer if you are using cotton bias binding.
As always I am happy to answer any questions, just leave a comment below.
Happy mask making!
Nicola
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Sewing The 8 Panel Skirt
In part 1 of this project we covered drafting the panel piece you need to make an 8 panelled skirt. In part 2 we look at the methods you can use to sew the skirt together and some tips on how to change the look and design of the skirt.
If you missed part one, drafting of the pattern, take a look here and draft yourself a skirt pattern that fits your individual body measurements perfectly.
A note on suitable fabric for this skirt.
Most medium weight fabrics would be suitable for this style, even a soft denim would also work well, or a light weight chiffon would also give a lovely fluid hem, this is a very versatile style and as you experiment with different fabrics you will find they all give you a slightly different look.
How much fabric will you need?
You will need to purchase twice the length of your panel if the fabric is 125 cm or less in width, or why not take the panel to the fabric shop and ask them to help you calculate. You will also need ¼ meter of medium weight fusible interfacing and a 20 cm zip, and some matching thread of course.
You will need some bias binding if you choose to bind the inside of the skirt facing or the hemline (you can calculate this by measuring the hem of the facing panels and skirt hem) or make your own binding – I have a handy template and guide to making your own bias binding here on my blog page (see below for the link).
You will also need a hook and eye fastener to finish the top of the zip.
Let’s start sewing.
Applying a facing to the skirt waist.
A facing gives a lovely clean finish and the technique can be used on any garment hem edge, it’s particularly good for finishing armholes and necklines too!
If you are using the single facing piece, i.e. the one we made a pattern for in part 1, then you will need to cut out the pattern piece 8 times in fabric and fusible interfacing. Fuse the fabric pieces to give them some strength and then sew them together as illustrated below – Press the seams open and set the facing aside for now. If you want to know more about fusible interfacing take a look at my blog post on the best way to apply fusing at home.
An alternative method for creating your facing involves a little extra pattern drafting, but it will save you sewing time, so it may be worth a try…
Finishing the facing
If you want a lovely neat finish on the inside of your skirt, you can bind the hem of your facing, this looks fantastic! Your local fabric shop will have a wide selection of ready made bias binding, or you can look here for a free guide and template to making and applying your own home make binding. I absolutely love making my own!
Sewing the main skirt panels
Take all 8 skirt panels and stitch them together, placing each piece with right sides together, leave one seam open at the top by 20 cm – this is for the zip insertion. Press the seams open and neaten with your chosen method, this may be a zig zag stitch or if you have an overlocker then this is perfect. Or why not go mad and bind all the seams.
Inserting the zip
Many people are afraid of inserting a zip, if you follow these simple steps, and take your time, then your zip will be perfect!
- Having left the seam open where the zip is to be inserted (20 cm zip is perfect) – press your seams open, so you have a nice crease along the stitch line.
- Turn the skirt so the right side is to the outside. With the right side of the zip facing downwards pin the zip to the seam allowance of the skirt, with the teeth lying next to the crease line and the edge of the zip tape to the edge of the seam allowance. Sew the zip in place, 3 mm away from the zip teeth. You will have to stop as you get towards the bottom of the zip , if you can manage to, leave your needle in the work to make the next step easier, lift the zipper foot up and zip up the zipper so that you can continue to sew down to just below the metal base of the zip closure.
- Pop the zip inside the skirt and press the zip from the right side gently flattening the crease you pressed in before.
- Now pin the zip into position again as shown and top stitch the zip from the right side.
Finishing the waist line
Now you can finish the waist line by placing the facing piece to the skirt waist line with right sides together, fold the facing back at the zip seam or overlap by 1 cm each side and sew along the waist line.
Now flip the facing inside the skirt and press, you have a lovely waist finish! You can either hand sew, or machine stitch the ends of the facing overlaps by folding them in and securing them to the edge of the zip tape, just be careful not to catch the zip teeth.
Now all you need to do is hem the skirt, A very small hem is best for this style, press the hem up gently and pin in position, you will need to ease the hem as you sew it, try not to drag the hem along and cause ripples, I always prefer a hand sewn hem.
Now you have made one skirt, why not experiment with length and flair and create as many different versions as you like! If you would like to make this in a soft jersey fabric then take a look at my next post where I show you how.
If you have any questions or comments then just leave me a message, I would love to see some pictures of your makes!
Don’t forget to read my next post for some more ideas for developing this skirt into a jersey version.
Nicola x
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Sewing the “hippy” Smock Top Pattern.
Making the ‘Hippy Style Smock’
The Smock Top project is one of my favourite patterns, I make it all the time for myself. It’s also one of my mums favourites, she adapts it to make long dresses, shapes the hem, she has even made it as a loose jacket by cutting the front top as an open shape and adding an extra facing. The pattern sleeves are long, but I will show you how they can be easily shortened. Its also lovely as a dress, I will show you how to lengthen the top too!
Here is a run through of the sewing process and also some ideas for adapting the pattern. The pattern can be purchased on Etsy and has a very detailed sew along and also some pattern adaptation ideas.
Click this link to find the pattern on Etsy
The pattern is designed so that the back smock piece is cut as 2 separate pieces with a seam down the center back, this saves fabric, however if you have wide enough fabric and want to take the extra time, then it worth cutting the back smock and the back facing on a fold line. If you choose to cut them on a fold line, then don’t forget to remove the 1 cm (3/8″) seam allowance from the center back of the pattern, or just overlap the 1 cm over the fold when you cut out.
The first step is to sew the center back seams (If you didn’t choose to cut them on a fold), both on the main smock, and the back smock facing.
You will also need to apply a light to medium weight fusible interfacing to the facing pieces (back and front), this will give them body and help them lie flatter inside the top.
When applying fusing to a fabric piece, remember its not like ironing, its more like pressing.
With sticky side down (that’s the shiny side) placed to the wrong side of the fabric, PRESS the iron and put a bit of your weight behind it, this will help the fusing process. Fusings are developed for a high heat setting and the resin needs to melt and stick. Don’t burn the fabric though, its always wise to do a test piece. Don’t use an ironing motion and don’t use steam and all will be well!
Now you have whole back pieces, and whole front pieces, so its time to join them all together.
Sew the shoulder seams and the side seams on the main top and do the same for the facing. Press the seams and neaten the edges using your normal method (zig zag or overlocker / serger)
The facing can now be applied to the neck line, Before you do this you need to neaten the edge of the facing at its hem edge. I love to apply bias binding to my facings, if you would like to have a go, see my blog post –
Making and applying your own bias binding!
Applying the facing to the neckline is the trickiest part of this process, its worth taking a little time to prepare the pattern pieces and it will help greatly if you mark the seam allowance with a fabric pen at the neckline.
It’s difficult to see where the point of the V is, so marking the seam allowance lets you stop at the V point, with your needle down in the fabric, and allows you to pivot the work, so that you can continue sewing.
Once you have sewn the facing to the main top at the neckline edge, the facing can be turned through. Before you do this you will need to clip in to the seam allowance and also the V to allow the seam allowance to open up. Cut to just within a couple of millimetres of the stitching. This will allow the facing to be pressed flat when turned through.
Now give the neckline a good press and move onto the sleeves.
I plan to make a detailed blog post on setting in a sleeve, there are a number of tips I want to share, so please keep a look out for this, its hard to picture clearly when photographing a garment!
Sew the sleeve underarm seam, I have shortened the sleeves for this top, as I want it as a summer top. I will show you how to do this later in the post, it’s not as simple as just drawing a straight line across if you want the sleeve to look straight on the body.
Here is a photo of one I made with long sleeves, just to give you an idea of the sleeve shape and how nicely it hangs.
OK, let’s sew the sleeves into the armholes. I start by pinning the underarm seams together (right sides together). I then travel around the armhole pinning and matching the notches. There is a little bit of ease in the sleeve head on this pattern. This means the sleeve head is larger than the armhole and needs to be eased in. This can be done by compressing the sleeve fabric as you sew. As this is such a loose fitting style then you can also make the extra into a few little pleats at the shoulder seam and this looks quite nice.
Now press and neaten the raw seam allowance edges together.
All that remains is to finish the hems, a machine stitched hem is fine for this style. Press the hems up by 1 cm and stitch into position. If you don’t have a way to neaten the raw edges, then the hems can be stitched as a double hem, but make sure you only take a small hem if you are doing this.
I love a pattern that I can use again and again, I love to make this style slightly longer as a loose summer dress. It’s also great as a cover up on the beach!
Above you can see the top has been made as a dress in a lovely soft cotton!
Some ideas for adapting the pattern!
A shorter sleeve.
Measure down from each underarm the quantity you require, for example 5 cm (2″).
Draw a line straight across and mark a point on the center of the line.
Drop this point by 1.5 cm (1/2″) and draw in a curved line as shown.
A straight line would look as though it went upwards when the sleeve is on the body.
Trace off the new sleeve, transferring the notches from the original pattern.
Making a longer smock or a dress.
Extend a line from the center back and the center front by the amount you wish to lengthen the top.
Measure down at right angles from various points along the hem line by the same amount.
Make the corners all 90 degrees for a couple of centimetres (3/4 inch).
Draw in the new, slightly curved hem line.
If you have any questions or comments, as always, please let me know.
Happy sewing and pattern cutting!
Nicola x
