Mitered corners with bias tape

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This simple and easy to follow step-by-step tutorial helps you learn a very handy skill: how to sew mitered corners with bias tape! Use this cool technique for bias tape mitered corners to help sewing projects like napkins, place mats, table runners, table cloths etc to look more polished!

Mitered corners with bias tape

Hey guys! Today I’ll add a new episode to my bias series and I’ll be demonstrating my way of sewing bias tape around corners! I love the look of mitered corners and I’ve been working on perfecting my bias tape skills so I can sew mitered corners with bias tape! If you’ve been scared on giving binding corners with bias tape a try, I’m here to assure you, this technique is as easy as it gets!

As with almost every technique in sewing, everyone has a favorite method and in my case, I found that this one here is the easiest, fastest and simplest way of sewing mitered corners with bias tape! Once you get the hang of it, it literally takes seconds to get your bias tape corners done!

Check out the entire bias series here:

To make my mitered corners with bias tape look neat, sharp and polished, I use a teeny tiny trick I’ll be showing in the step by step tutorial below. It’s one of those little details that seem so insignificant at a first glance but prove to be the hero of the project. The idea came to me after struggling to keep bias tape in place as I was twisting and folding it around the corners to sew it to the project. So mind blowing!

In fact there are two little details you definitely need to keep in mind and you use one of them in every single one of your projects! Oh, alright! I’ll disclose my big secrets! Just because I love you, I won’t keep you “in stitches” any longer!

My first trick is a very tiny extra seam that I sew in the corner, that helps the bias stay put when I fold it to the side (it’ll make more sense once I get to the actual tutorial). The second trick is ironing the bias tape on the corners, in the initial steps. Helps you get a very precise fold and therefore a very precise finish of your mitered corners with bias tape.

Now let’s see how I actually do it all! I’ve done this tutorial on a small piece of scrap, hopefully you’ll be able to understand each step as the corners are pretty close to each other.

Bias tape mitered corners

Materials:

Piece of fabric in square or rectangular shape
Double fold bias tape
Fabric marker or chalk pencil
Pins
Matching thread (I used contrast for the purpose of this tutorial)
Sewing machine
Pressing iron

Directions:

Sew bias to fabric on one side

Start by pinning and sewing your bias tape on one side of the square, somewhere in the middle, as indicated in this tutorial.
As you approach the corner, stop sewing, lift the presser foot and remove the fabric.
Mark 1/4″ away from the corner on the bias tape.

Draw a line from this mark to the corner.

Put the fabric back under the presser foot and continue sewing until you reach the 1/4″ mark.

Sew the bias to the corner

Stop at the mark, leave the needle down into the fabric, lift the presser foot up and pivot the fabric so the needle is level with the line you drew to the corner.

Lower the presser foot down and continue sewing until the needle reaches the corner.

Fold the bias to the other side of fabric

Remove the fabric and fold the bias tape to a side, over the little seam you’ve sewn in the corner.

Press the bias right at that seam with your pressing iron.
Fold the bias tape down, towards the other side of the square. The fold in the bias tape should be level with the edge of the fabric.

Press well, right along the edge.

Sew bias to the second side of fabric

Pin the bias tape to the second side of the square.
Sew the bias to the second side, starting right near the edge of the fabric, in the corner you just mitered.

As you reach the next corner, repeat all the steps above.
Continue in the same manner until all corners are done.

Finish sewing bias

When you get to the end of the bias tape, follow the same tutorial I mentioned in the beginning of these instructions to attach the bias ends.
Push bias tape up, on all sides and give it a light press along the seam you’ve just finished sewing.
Then fold the bias to the back of the fabric, smoothing out and folding the corners until they shape like mitered corners.
Once you are happy with the look, pin the bias to the back of the fabric and stitch in the ditch on the right side of the fabric to attach the bias to the back of the fabric. The above tutorial also shows this method.
Give your project a good press along all sides and corners and you’re done!

I hope you found my tutorial easy and instructive and you’ve already decided to give this method a try in one of your projects. Please let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to rate this tutorial! Thanks!