Today I’m going to show you how to finish a facing with bias binding. If you’re making the Arielle skirt (which I'm demonstrating here) or the Sonny jacket and leaving it unlined, bias binding will give you a pretty finish on the inside of the garment - it's a lovely alternative to finishing with zigzag stitch or an overlocker.
You can make your own bias binding out of leftover fabric, or you can buy it ready-made. It's up to you to decide how wide you want your binding to be - just bear in mind that, whether you buy it or make it with a bias binding tool, the finished binding will end up half the width when attached to the facing.
Start by unfolding one side of the binding and align the raw edge with one of the inside edges of the facing, right sides together. Pin it in place. As it's cut on the bias - in other words, at a 45 degree angle to the straight grain of fabric - it should naturally stretch a little, which will help it get around curves. You can leave a little bias binding overhang at each end of the facing.
Stitch the binding to the facing along the channel of the fold line nearest the edge of the facing.
From the right side, press the binding away from the facing and towards the seam allowances. Now fold the binding over to the wrong side of the facing and press in place, ensuring that the raw edge of the fabric is covered by the folded edge of the binding – you may need to trim down the seam allowance on the facing a little first, depending on how wide your bias binding is, and how accurately you sewed it!
From the right side of the facing, edgestitch the binding close to the seam line, through all layers. Pause every so often with the needle down to check that the other side of the binding is getting caught in the stitching.
Give it a final press, and you’re done!
P.S. If you liked this, you might also be interested in How to Understitch like a Pro.
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Author: Tilly Walnes
