Picked bias tape over a serger for my last project and I'm still kicking myself

I was making a cotton dress last month and had to decide between using bias tape to finish the armholes or finally learning how to use my friend's serger. I went with the bias tape because I thought it would be faster and I could just iron it on. But the curve on the armhole was way tighter than I expected and the tape kept bunching up. I spent like 4 hours unpicking and redoing it to get it even halfway decent. Meanwhile my friend finished a whole shirt with her serger in 20 minutes flat. Has anyone else had bias tape totally fail on a curved edge like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

mileslane10d ago

Picked bias tape over a serger" - honestly, I feel like that's a life lesson you only learn once. I did the same thing on a neckline last year and ended up with a dress that looked like it had a tiny weird scalloped edge from all my bad folds. Took me three days to finish what should have been a one hour job. Now I just tell people I'm "vintage inspired" when my bias tape looks rough.

grantw4110d ago

Pre-washing my bias tape and giving it a good press with starch before sewing changed everything for me. The store bought stuff is garbage out of the package, it stretches all over the place. I also switched to making my own tape from leftover quilting cotton, way easier to control. A walking foot helps too, keeps the layers from shifting around on you. Once I did those things, bias tape went from a nightmare to something I actually enjoy using.

fionafoster10d ago

Honestly, I started making my own bias tape from scraps of cotton lawn and that was a game changer. Pre-starching it before cutting makes it hold the curve way better than that flimsy store stuff.