Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! And happy August! Here’s your tip!
Make your own bias tape.
Bias tape is great for finishing work on costumes, especially where you don’t want much bulk, like the edges of corsets. Its ability to smoothly curve makes it perfect for binding necklines, armholes, and hems.
Sure, you can buy it, but there’s a limited range of colors and most are a polyester-cotton blend. I think having a perfect match to your fabric makes for a more polished look.
It’s not as hard as it might seem with a couple of simple tools.
Tape makers come in multiple sizes for most standard widths of tape. Pictured is a 1/2″ tape maker. I also have a 1″, and you can get 1/4″, 3/4″ and 2″ as well. These tools make single-fold bias tape. If you want double-fold, you’ll need to make a tape twice the size of the desired result and then press it in half length-wise.
That’s it! You’re all set to make yards and yards of tape in no time.
Like this costuming tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Burlesque Costuming.
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