Making Bias Tape

I have so much fabric that I try to make my bias tape from my stash.  Now I had that little funnel gadget that cost about $14 and I can never get it to work.  What I have found is that it is easier to make the tape with the use of straight pins.
1.  I cut my fabric into strips.  For this one I cut my strips 2 1/2 inches wide.
2.  To make the length, I sew them together at an angle.  I found that sewing them straight across creates to much bulk at the the seam.  So creating a diagonal seam allows the bulk to be dispersed.
3. Iron tape in half, from end to end.

4. Unfold the tape.  Next, on each side fold to meet in the middle as shown. Now this is when I use the pins.  I actually get the fold started and then pin it.  From here I can just pull it through and iron it, as I go.  I only have to do minor adjustments as I pull it through.

5.  To make it even more efficient, I use one more pin and fold it in half.  Now it is about 1/4 of the width that I cut it out.  Now I am ironing it  and getting multiple folds with minimal efforts.

Here is what it looks like on my ironing board.

All done!  This is actually close to 15 feet of bias tape. 

I had made the bias tape for my table clothe.  This table is a small table and with the placement of the benches, having a long cloth hanging over always allows the children to pull it off as they get in and out.
When I went through my stash, I had this red stripped denim fabric.  I actually had enough to cut into 2 pieces.  Well, I am not in the mood to hem it.  So I decided to use the bias tape and add a little flair to it.  So ta-da!

I hope this encourages you to even make some of you own basic products when you can!

I hope all is well!
~trish