1) Start with a Square of fabric. Example: a 26" Square will yield a 3" strip of bias just over 5 yards long
2) Mark the opposite sides of your square with pins.
3) Cut the square in half diagonally
4) Sew the pinned edges together right sides together, as shown.
5) Using a quilting ruler and a fabric marking tool, mark lines parallel to the bias edge (this is the diagonal that you cut). These lines should be spaced the width that you wish your bias to be. In our example, they are 3" apart.
6) Put the short ends together with right sides together. Offset the edges by one line and stitch ends together making a tube.
7) Cut on the lines to create your continuous bias strips!
How to know what size square you need to start with:
• Take the length needed and multiply by 36" (that's a yard).
• Now take that new number and multiply by the width that you want the strip to be (for example 3").
• Finally, find the square root of the number that you came up with. This will give you the size of the fabric square you will need.
• I add an inch to this measurement to account for fabric used in seam allowance.
Need 10yds of 3" wide bias? Start with a 34" square of fabric. Math below:
• 10yds x 36" = 360
• 360 x 3" wide =1080
• Sq root of 1080 = 32.86" sq.
So I would start with a 34" square!
Happy Sewing,
Reva
