Tutorials: How to make continuous bias, plus how to calculate how much you’ll get

I have a pretty healthy stash of bias tape scored from estate sales and fabric store discounts. But by far and away, my favorite bias tape is still the stuff I make myself. Bias tape from a stripe or a polka dot is generally so much more delicious than a solid from a very limited palette at the store. Heather from The Sewing Loft shares a pair of tutorials about making your own bias tape. The first shows how to make a looooong strip of continuous bias using just one seam. The second shows how to calculate the amount of continuous bias you’ll get from a piece of fabric. She includes some handy charts showing how much fabric you’ll need to use to create different lengths of bias tape. Go to her continuous bias tape tutorial. Go to her post showing how to calculate continuous bias.

[photo from The Sewing Loft]

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It doesn’t matter whether you sew by hand or by machine, you need a pincushion. You need a spot to parks pins and needles and keep them within easy reach for when you need them again. There are a lot of styles of pincushion to choose from. Some magnetic, some fabric. Some cute, some purely functional. This “little bit extra” pincushion has a spot to store all the different types of pins and needles you might need while sewing. Polka Dot Chair has a free sewing pattern you can use to make one for yourself.

This handy little pincushion has a circular shape and is divided into sections to store different types of pins. The bottom section is for your regular straight pins. Just poke them in and they’re ready for when you need them. The top has one section with a felt flap perfect for holding your sewing needles. I don’t know about you but I don’t like mixing my hand sewing needles in with my pins on a pincushion. It makes it hard to find the needle when I want it. So having a separate section for the needles is a great idea.

This “little bit extra” pincushion also has a spot to hold a few fabric clips. Fabric clips have become popular alternatives to a traditional straight pin. They hold fabric pieces together without piercing the fabric, which is important when sewing leather, vinyl, or other materials that will show permanent holes from pins.

You can sew the “little bit extra” pincushion from large fabric scraps or small fabric cuts (fat eighth). You probably already have all the supplies you need to sew one in your sewing supplies already.

Get the free pattern for this “little bit extra” pincushion over at Polka Dot Chair.

[photo credit: Polka Dot Chair]

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