Denim Projects

©2003 Susan M. Whitlock

All rights reserved.

This is a section from my denim book. You may use this information for your own personal use. Do not sell or distribute it as your own. Thank you.

Bias Binding

SUPPLIES: You will need old jeans that have a prominent bias line, ruler, marking pen, sharp scissors, iron and ironing board, sewing supplies (you could do the sewing by hand, but it's much faster and neater if you use your sewing machine).

Making your own bias tape from old jeans is incredibly easy. Most of your old jeans will have a definite bias line. You can mark and cut on these lines. Some of your jeans won't have an outstanding bias line, so it is best to use those for something else.
After you have cut your old jeans apart look for the bias line. Figure out how wide you need your binding to be, remembering to figure in the seam allowance on both sides.
Lay a ruler or yard stick or anything with a straight edge along the bias line. Take a marking pen and mark the first line. Measure the width you need, then mark the next line. Keep doing this until you have the amount of bias strips you need.
Now cut out your bias strips. Do not sew them together until you have held them together (right sides) to see if you have a good contrast, or you can piece together all the same color. Once you have decided how to piece them together, put the right sides together using the illustration as your guide. The long lines show the seam line and the short lines show where to trim excess fabric away.
Press each seam flat and trim away the excess fabric on the wrong side. Fold this long strip in half, pressing with an iron as you go. You can also press in the folds, but do not press the folds to the end of the piece if you are going to add more strips as it will be harder to sew on your next piece. You could also do all the trimming and pressing after you have sewn all the strips together. I find this method much easier.
I usually cut out and sew together bias binding (alternating light and dark pieces) and then wind it around a piece of cardboard. I then store it with my sewing supplies where it is ready to use whenever I need it.