How to Make a Bias Seam on a Quilt Border
The border on a quilt is sewn to prevent the batting, which is the padding inside, from moving around. The technique known as bias binding is the process of sewing an angled seam around the border of the quilt. The angle, or bias, gives the quilt border a more elegant appearance.
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Things You'll Need
- Fabric that matches the quilt, 5 inches-by-45 inches
- Fabric marker
- Yard stick
- Scissors
- Pins
- Needle
- Thread
- Bias tape maker
- Iron
Instructions
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1
Lay a 5 inch-by-45 inch piece of fabric on a table or countertop so the 45-inch edge lies from left to right.
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2
Fold the top left corner down to the bottom edge as if you were making a bookmark or ear in a paperback book. Align the edge of the corner with the bottom edge of the fabric.
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3
Press the fold down with your fingers to crease the corner.
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4
Unfold the corner. You should see a crease.
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5
Draw lines parallel to the crease with a fabric marker. Use a yard stick to keep the lines straight. The width between each line should be four times wider than the width of the finished binding you desire. If you want a 1/2-inch binding, draw the lines 2 inches apart.
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6
Cut the line on each edge of the fabric to get rid of the straight sides. The fabric should be a parallelogram.
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7
Roll the fabric into a tube. Align the fabric marker lines. As you rotate the roll, the marker lines should all meet and form one continuous line. One segment of binding should protrude from each end. The distance between two of the lines is one segment.
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8
Pin the fabric in place where it overlaps.
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9
Thread a needle with thread that matches the fabric.
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10
Sew along the pinned edges, 1/4 inch in from the edge.
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11
Cut along the line with scissors. You should have one long strip of bias binding.
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12
Lay the strip of bias binding on a flat surface.
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13
Cut one end of the bias binding so the edge forms a point. It doesn’t matter which end you cut.
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14
Insert the point into a bias tape maker.
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15
Pull the bias binding through the opposite side of the tape maker.
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16
Iron the bias binding as you pull it through the tape maker.
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17
Position the bias binding on the edge of the quilt and sew it into place using thread that matches the fabric.
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