After buying the fabric and notions for the blouse (Butterick pattern B6097 View A), I realized I wasn’t happy with the idea of using the white bias tape I bought to finish the armscyes. I knew that it was possible to make bias tape on your own, so I set out to youtube. This video was super easy to follow and led me through the process. I even picked up my own bias tape maker and am pretty sure I will never buy bias tape again.

Bias tape is not something new to me, but it has been something I’ve struggled with making look really nice. Before attaching it, I reviewed some videos to remind myself how to do it and see if I could pick up some tricks. This video is pretty clear and even shows how to turn a 90 degree corner.

I used the “stitch in the ditch” strategy, which is what I have done in the past. The trouble I have previously run into is that my stitching doesn’t catch on the underside. What I did, once I attached the bias to the one side and before I folded it back over, I trimmed the seam allowance to 1/4 inch. Taking off the 1/8 inch allowed me to fold the bias tape over just a little bit more and to ensure that my stitching caught. This worked pretty well and I’ll be doing my bias tape this way in the future.