Put a Professional Finish on your Project with Bias Folds or Hem Facing Mar 19, 2019 3:24:53 PM / by Kerry Pelesky How do you finish a project when you either don’t have enough of your original fabric or you are sewing a curved or shaped hemline? Bias Folds

Another technique to finish a curved edge of fabric is a “bias fold.” In this process, you sew a bias fold onto the raw edge of your material and then fold over to the inside so that the it can’t be seen. Bias tape is stretchy so this method is ideal for curved hems.

Center fold bias tape is a single strip of material with each edge of the length folded in towards the center of the binding and pressed together. Single Fold, Book Fold and V- Fold are essentially the same process with different names.

Double-fold bias tape is the result of taking a single-fold bias tape and folding in half with the single folds to the inside and pressed. The fold is slightly off center to make one edge fractionally wider than the other. This decreases the chance that the back of the binding may be missed when sewing on top of the binding.

At National Bias Fabric Company, we stock the following fabrics for bias folds:

 96/56 Poly-Cotton  Nylon Taffeta Both fabrics and offer several color varieties.

All folds 1/2" and smaller are put on a spool (100 - 150 yards per spool). All folds that are larger than 1/2" are put up on a tube (50-70 yards), these are sometimes called pancake rolls. Our minimum order is 1000 yards for all bias folds.

The convenience and time saving factors involved in pre-folding your material will help ensure your production process runs smoothly. At National Bias Fabric Co., we can help you with any custom fabric processing or custom sewing project that you may need. Contact one of our staff today to get started.

Hem Facing Hem facing is a sewing technique that allows for a garment to be extended using a separate piece of fabric that is not part of your original material. It also allows for a professional finish on curved hemlines.

It would seem that you could add more fabric around the curved edge of your hemline to finish the edge of the material. In doing so, however, you create an excess of fabric as you travel around the circumference of the hem and the fabric will accumulate until the point that the garment can no longer lie flat.

Hem facing is commonly used when extending skirts and dresses. By using this process you can use fabric that may not be appropriate for the exterior of your dress or material and extend your dress further than if you had only your original fabric to work with.

This technique is also used to add weight to a straight hemline of a skirt or other garment. Using hem facing in this manner can help with the drape of your finished product.

The process involves cutting a piece of fabric for your hem facing instead of turning up your hem from your original material. This separate piece of fabric is sewn along the edge of the hem that you wish to adjust and folded over to give a smooth surface. The fold is ironed into place and the remaining part of the fabric that you have just sewn on is folded over again and sewn to secure the seam. Contact Us to Discuss Your Upcoming Project

Written by Kerry Pelesky