How to make nice and sturdy ¼ inch wide straps from cotton fabric strips?
Self-made bias tape can be made from any fabric scraps you have laying around. And bias tape is a great alternative to elastic or ribbon to secure your handmade face mask. It’s simply a matter of cutting your fabric, ironing it, and then sewing it!
1. Cut 4 fabric strips from cotton fabric, 1 inch wide, with your rotary cutter and mat
2. Grab the yellow ½” bias tape maker and insert the strip with a little help from an awl.
3. Pin the end of the strip onto your ironing board or wool pressing mat. Pull the tape maker slowly away from the pin while pressing with the hot iron close to the tape maker. The 2 edges are now folded inward. Your strip is now ½ inch wide.
4. Fold the bias tape in half lengthwise. The wrong side of the fabric is on the inside of the tape. Press the fold. Your strip is now ¼ inch wide.
4. Fold the bias tape in half lengthwise. The wrong side of the fabric is on the inside of the tape. Press the fold. Your strip is now ¼ inch wide.
5. Close the strap by sewing on the edge with a straight stitch and a regular stitch length. I’m using an edge joining foot for this. The guide of this foot slides along the edge of the fabric, keeping you on track. If you sew with your needle off-center, you get consistent stitching at ⅛”. This really speeds up this job.
6. Finish one raw edge. Double fold it and sew it down with a hand stitch. The straps are now ready to be used!
Discounts On All Tools Used Here
To get you going with making your own bias tape and your own straps we marked down all tools that are used in this tutorial. This special promotion runs this week only.
Easy Bias Tape Makers - 4 sizes
Stitch-in-the-Ditch/Edge Joining Presser Foot
