Brilliant bias tape creations with UNIQUE Bias Maker

I have been quilting for many years now so I have seen more than a few trends take place. I remember when I started quilting, Celtic knotwork was very popular and I took a class to make a sampler quilt using this technique, I still have it. I remember making the bias tape was tricky but once I got the hang of it, everything went smoothly.

If you look back at any of my earlier QUILTsocial posts, you will see how much fun I like to have with applique and this week’s posts will be no different. I like to show how you can play with your quilting and even if you don’t make the project exactly as I have done, hopefully, I’ll give you some ideas of how to play on your own!

So when deciding what I could share here on QUILTsocial, I remembered those bias tape makers. I went to Pinterest, as I do, and found out the modern quilting movement has also rediscovered bias applique and there are some pretty incredible creations being made with an old and familiar quilt tool. There is even an online beginner quilt class showing the simple, graphic designs that can make with bias binding.

In 2015 QuiltCon held a Bias Tape Quilting Challenge and the results were pretty spectacular. This is a picture of the first place quilt, CPU by Katherine Jones of Tasmania, Australia. I was completely inspired. Bias tape has so many uses beyond the traditional ones and I hope this week to encourage you to find your bias tape maker or purchase a new UNIQUE Bias Maker and get started making some creative designs!

After seeing all these amazing quilts, I thought it would be fun to reacquaint myself with the bias tape maker. I decided to start with the UNIQUE Bias Maker. I picked sizes 9mm, 12mm and 25mm. UNIQUE bias makers are simply designed and easy to use. The plastic handle keeps fingers well away from the hot iron needed to create a crisp bias tape edge.

I also picked up some HeatnBond Lite Iron-on adhesive as I wanted to use in my creation. You can choose to make the bias tape and add the fusible web at the same time if you like. I thought my bias tape skills were probably a bit rusty after all these years and wanted to take it easy. I’ll be honest, creating bias tape can be tricky but as long as you take it slow and follow the instructions (and have a nice hot iron) you’ll be making reams of bias tape in no time, I know I did.

When deciding what pattern you would like to create, there’s no limit. Think of it this way, a strip of bias tape is the same as any other line, you can quite literally draw with bias tape. Look around on Pinterest for ideas and anywhere else you like to find inspiration. I ended up drawing an image of what I thought I could achieve with bias tape… noodles of course! This is my initial drawing. Remember to keep it simple. I had to make some small changes to the design from the picture, what I want the bias tape to do and what it decides to do are two different things!

Once you have decided on an image, pick your colors. Bias tape works particularly well with solid fabrics but you may choose whatever you like as long as the fabric is good quality.

Tomorrow I’ll go over how to create your bias tape, step by step. The UNIQUE Bias Maker comes with complete instructions but I’ve learned a few tips and tricks along the way I would love to share with you. Have fun searching for an image and check back here tomorrow for all the steps to using the UNIQUE Bias Maker.