Make your own bias tape

Prewash your fabric (page link) and press it flat. To get an idea of how much fabric you’ll need, 1 yard (0.9 meters) of 60″-wide (150cm) fabric will make over 45 yards (41 meters) of ½” (1.3cm) single-fold bias tape. Fold the selvedge of the fabric toward the cut edges to form a triangle. This 45° angle marks the bias direction. Cut along this line.

Draw a second line 1″ (2.5cm) away from the first line. Cut along this line. Use a rotary cutter and cutting mat or chalk and scissors to measure off each new 1″ (2.5cm) line and cut. Repeat until all of the fabric is cut into strips or until you have enough strips to make the length of bias tape you need.

Sew up the small strips into one continuous strip. To do this, trim the ends at a right angle. Form a right angle with two strips, and sew a seam from corner to corner with a ¼” (6mm) seam allowance where the two strips overlap. I find it easier to sew straight when I draw in the line before sewing. Repeat until all of the pieces are connected. Press the joining seams open.

Fold the edges in toward the center, ¼” (6mm) on both sides, and press. You can do this with your fingers, carefully, or use a bias tape maker. A bias tape maker is a helpful tool if you plan to make a lot of bias tape. It’s a little gadget that folds the edges of the bias tape into the middle for you. The fabric goes in one end of the gadget as flat tape and comes out folded, so it’s easy to press flat. Bias tape makers come in different widths, and the width noted on the package is for making single-fold bias tape. Divide the width in half for double-fold bias tape.

Once the strip is pressed, you’ve created single-fold bias tape!
If you’re making long lengths of bias tape, start winding it onto a piece of cardboard as you go to keep it tidy. This will also help keep the folded edges in place.

Press in half again for double-fold bias tape. Line up the edges so that one side is very slightly wider than the other. This will make it easier to sew later.