Bias binding wraps a raw edge. The method that gives a clean result on both sides has three steps and one trick.
Open out one folded edge of the binding. Pin it right sides together against the edge you are binding, raw edges aligned. Sew in the crease line of that fold — the crease is your seam guide, which is why you open it out.
Press the binding away from the garment, then fold it over the raw edge to the back.
Now the trick: stitch in the ditch from the front. Sew from the right side, exactly in the groove of the first seam. On the back, the binding fold sits just past that line and gets caught. The result is a line of stitching that is nearly invisible from the front and secure on the back.
Make the back slightly wider than the front when you fold it over — a millimetre or two — so it is definitely caught. If you fold it exactly even, the stitching misses it in places.
On curves, stretch the binding very slightly on an inward curve and ease it on an outward one. It is cut on the bias precisely so it can do that.
Join binding ends on the bias too, at 45 degrees, so the join is not a lump.
Questions people actually ask
Should I use bought or self-made binding?
Bought is convenient. Self-made lets you match the fabric and choose the width, and a bias tape maker makes it quick.
My binding ripples on curves.
Too much binding for the curve on an outward edge, or not enough stretch on an inward one. Bias binding must be eased or stretched to suit the curve.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11