Use fabric scraps and your button stash. Or buy a handful of the “Odds ‘n Ends” buttons, at the fabric store. Or purchase some cheapy-cheap buttons at the store. The price of cheap buttons cost much less than the cover button kits.
Now you can make big, little, and in between cover buttons. In whatever color you need for your project.
The front is nice and smooth and perfectly covered in the fabric you want. And the back is bundled up and tightly sewn.
If you have covered flat buttons, they can either be glued right to your project or carefully sewn to your project by grabbing pieces of the fabric that’s on the back of the button with your needle and thread, as you attach it to your project?
However, if you are still wanting the shaft that comes on the back of the Cover Button Kit pieces……….you can cover a button that has a shaft on it. Same outcome.
Now you don’t have to stop what you’re doing and run to the fabric store in the middle of a project, because you forgot to buy a dang Cover Button Kit. Problem solved.
And since I have a button stash and plenty of fabric scraps, this didn’t cost me one penny. Love that.
Would you like to make your own Cover Buttons?
You’ll need some fabric scraps and some buttons. Whatever sized buttons that you need for your project.
First, cut out a circle piece of fabric that is larger than your button. Each side of the button will need to fold up and around to the back of the button and almost meet the middle of the button. You don’t want the edges to come all the way to the middle (or more) because then you’ll have a big mass of fabric on the back side of your button.
Then, if you’ve ever made fabric yo-yo’s, the next step is the same. You knot your thread and start weaving your needle in and out of the outer edge of your circle (on the wrong side of the fabric), until you make it all the way around the circle. The smaller your weave, the better the outcome. The bigger your weave, the messier it will look when you cinch it in.
Place your button back in the center of your circle, then pull your thread. It will cinch right around the button, creating a nice cover for it. Knot the end, keeping the cinched in fabric nice and tight.
Now, if you want to cover a button that has a shaft on it, cut out a piece of fabric the same way.
And if your button has some texture on the front that you don’t want to show, cut out a piece of felt that is the same size as the top of your button. Then lay it down on the fabric before putting your button on there.
Then cinch it up and stitch it tight the same way.
And that’s it.
A super cheap way to make Cover Buttons.
credit: makeit-loveit.com
The double seam makes it look nice and polished………and the inside has some added lining fabric, to help with turning under the bottom edge and to allow for a wide hem. (If you’d like to disguise the lining, you can always find a matching color to make it look as if nothing was ever added.)
BUT WAIT!!! This isn’t just for those little turkeys who are still growing.
Are any of you TALL (like me!!) and grouchy with the long-pant selection? Me too. Trust me. I’m kinda the president of the 5′ 11″ club! Anyone wanna join? ;)
Yeah, I know, stores are getting more and more LONG pants but they’re not always available in the exact pants I want. Or like. However, here’s the secret……….whenever browsing the regular length pants, I always, ALWAYS grab a pant leg and check out how much of a hem was folded under and sewn on the inside. Then, I try on the pants, knowing that I can add that amount…….and then I have suddenly increased the selection of pants that I can buy. (**Tip: Jeans are tricky, they usually have a narrow hem. However, wider hems in jeans ARE available. Just look!)
At least I’ll get a few more months out of these pants, before buying the next size up.
Need to lengthen some pants too??
First, grab those pants and un-hem the bottom with a seam ripper.
Then measure the exact width of the bottom of your pants. (Mine was 7 inches.)
Then cut 2 strips of fabric that are 1 inch wider (for a seam allowance) than the width of the pant length. And make them each about 2 1/2 inches tall. (Each of the strips below are 8 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches tall.)
Then, place your two strips together (with “right” sides together) and sew both ends together, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
Now, turn your pants INSIDE OUT and turn your lining RIGHT SIDE OUT. Slide the lining inside the pant leg and match up the bottom edges and pin in place.
Slide your pant leg onto your sewing machine and sew alon gthe bottom of the pants, as low as you can (but no less than a 1/4 inch). You will probably have an uneven bottom edge to your pants….but that ok. Either trim it so that is’ even, or just use the very lowest fold as your guide.
Keep the pant leg inside out but pull the lining back down through the pant legs and iron it down flat. (Be sure it’s pulling all the way out and isn’t making any funny folds on the inside while you’re ironing.)
Then, fold up the bottom edge about a 1/2 inch and iron in place.
Then, fold it up again, but fold up the rest of the lining fabric to hide it from the outside of the pants. TIP: I always include a very slight bit of the pant fabric as I’m folding in this step because I want to be sure you can’t see my lining fabric. But, I’m talking teeny weeny. Maybe 1/16 of an inch.
Then slide your pant leg back onto your machine and sew your hem in place, making sure that you’re sewing through the upper fold of the lining fabric underneath. (You can sew a single hem, sew two seams next to each other……..OR use the double needle, which is magical. And no special machine is required.)
Then, iron and steam again. Done. :)
credit: makeit-loveit.com
Bias Tape is a wonderful thing. In fact, it’s something that I have used from the very beginning of my sewing adventure…and is not something to be feared. In fact, once you understand the stuff, you will LOVE it!
However, my old tutorial showing you about bias tape and cutting on the bias, is well, really old. And it lacked some pictures. So every time I link to it, I end up having to add a bit more information….and it always aggravated me.
So this post has been on my mind to finish for a very LONG time. Blah.
But it deserved a new post…..because Bias Tape is a wonderful thing to use while sewing!!!
I really do use this stuff all the time. Around hems, arm holes, neck lines, to make elastic casings, to finish off openings of any kind, etc. And it can either be used to add a great POP of detail to your projects or can be attached secretly. It’s such great stuff!
And a recent discovery — Bias Tape Makers. I’m not sure why it took me this long to try these, but I will never make bias tape without them again. (I included a video down below to show you exactly why!)
Okay, first of all, WHAT IS BIAS TAPE??
To understand Bias Tape, you need to understand what the word “bias” means. I have mentioned this several other times, but lets throw it in here too…..as a refresher. :)
If you look at a piece of fabric that you’ve purchased from the store, it has two edges that are machine finished, which is called the selvage. The two selvage edges are always parallel to each other and are a way to find a straight edge to your fabric. If you place your fabric down in front of you, using your selvage edge as your starting edge, cut the fabric off at a 90 degree angle. If you look really closely at your fabric, you will see tiny lines of fabric interlocking each other (if it’s a woven fabric). And those grain lines will run exactly parallel and perpendicular to your selvage edge.
Now, if you fold your cut edge (the one on the left) over at a diagonal until it lines up with selvage edge (along the bottom)…..you are creating a diagonal fold. And this fold is called the BIAS LINE. And the BIAS LINE is always a 45 degree angle from the selvage.
And if you cut along that fold…….you are cutting along the bias. Make sense??
Okay……we’ll get more into making the bias tape in a second……but I just wanted to be sure you understood what the word BIAS actually meant.
So, next let’s talk about what BIAS TAPE is.
If you’ve ever been to the store and looked around the sewing supplies, you’ve likely seen displays of thread, zippers, buttons, and more.
There are also usually several rows of Bias Tape.
Bias Tape comes in SINGLE FOLD and DOUBLE FOLD……..and in a variety of widths. (But they are limited in colors and you can make this stuff for so much cheaper than the price you pay at the store…..hence the reason for today’s post!)
Now, what in the world do you use this stuff for?!?!
Well, if you pull your fabric across the BIAS, if actually has some stretch to it. See that??
But if you just pull the fabric across the regular grain, it won’t really stretch at all.
And because Bias Tape has some stretch, it curves really nicely around curved edges of fabric…….whereas strips cut along the grain will pucker and bulge.
So, SINGLE FOLD and DOUBLE FOLD…….why are there 2 choices?
Well, they’re used for different purposes. Single Fold is nice because it’s essentially a long strip of fabric with both ends already folded under, ready for use. But since it’s cut on the bias, it can curve around edges really well……and lays so beautifully. It can be used to hem curved edges (like a circle skirt), around neck lines, etc. But it can also be used as ready made strips of trim that you can add to your projects.
Like this Rainbow Bias Tape Skirt. Cute, right??
Double Fold is actually what I use most often. It sandwiches around a fabric edge and finishes it off really nicely, with a perfectly crisp edge of Bias Tape. Double Fold can be used for hems and necklines like the Single Fold…….it just depends on if you want to see the bias tape from the front of your project or not.
But using a contrasting color of Bias Tape can really make a project POP!
Like the Bias Tape I used to finish off the edge of these Gauze Swaddle Blankets.
It really is great stuff!
So, now…..how do you make BIAS TAPE??
Well, remember how to find the bias? Well, fold along the bias line and cut a straight line with your scissors.
Now, you have a bias edge to start from.
Measure from that bias edge and cut the fabric into a strip the width you need it. Since I use 1/2 inch Double Fold Bias Tape the most often, I measured over 2 inches from the bias cut edge and cut as much as I need.
If you want to make SINGLE FOLD Bias Tape…..multiply your desired width by 2. (For example, if you need 1/2 inch wide single fold tape, multiplying 1/2 x 2 is 1. So, cut a 1 inch wide strip in the length that you need.)
If you want to make DOUBLE FOLD Bias Tape…..multiply your desired width by 4. (For example, if you need 1/2 inch wide double fold tape, multiplying 1/2 x 4 is 2. So, cut a 2 inch wide strip in the length that you need.)
If you look really closely at your bias tape, you’ll be able to see that instead of the grain running parallel and perpendicular to the long straight edge, they’re actually at a diagonal.
Now, more than likely, you’ll have to piece your strips together to create one long piece of bias cut fabric. But, if you want to try the coolest trick…
Okay…….now, let’s get folding and ironing.
But there’s the regular old standard way of folding and ironing……OR, if I offer you one piece of advice today, it’s to purchase these Bias Tape Maker Tools. I bought this set for $10 and let me tell you…….it has saved me a ton of time!
And just for fun, I created a little video to show you how these things work, instead of trying to take pictures of the process. And I’ll stop writing anything more about them…..because there’s plenty of talking in the video. (haha….sorry!)
Pretty cool little tools, right??? (And thanks for sitting through that video. I sure had fun with it….but maybe I need to not talk so much??!)
But in case you’d rather not purchase the tools, here’s how to fold and iron Bias Tape.
Fold your strip of bias cut fabric in half lengthwise (wrong sides together). Iron flat.
Then, open it up and fold both edges in toward that iron line you just created. Now iron flat again. This is what we call SINGLE FOLD BIAS TAPE.
Now, to create DOUBLE FOLD BIAS TAPE, re-fold it along that very first ironed fold you created….and that’s it!
Nicely folded edges, all tucked away…….ready for sewing!
Now, something that I couldn’t explain in the video, is that standard Bias Tape that you purchase has one edge that is a little wider than the other. There’s a reason for it (but I don’t always need it, so I don’t always include it). But if you prefer a wider edge, it will actually help save some aggravation. The reason for it, is that it gives some extra room when you’re sandwiching around your fabric, so that both edge wrap around evenly. Also, you usually place it along the back side of the fabric, so that while you’re sewing, you’ll be sure to catch it with your needle.
So, while you’re folding your bias tape back in half lengthwise, just fold it so that the back edge is a little wider than the top edge. Got it??
Okay, now how do you attach Bias Tape???
Well, there are 2 methods that I use. The CHEATER METHOD….and then the PROPER method! Haha! :)
If I’m not that concerned about catching both layers of bias tape with my needle, I use the CHEATER METHOD. And that just means that I open up the double fold just once and then sandwich it around the edge of whatever project I’m making. Then I pin the tape in place (but actually I don’t….I rarely pin).
Then I sew it in place.
And if you put the wider edge of the tape along the back, you’ll see that it has plenty of room to be caught with your needle.
Now, onto the PROPER METHOD.
Grab your Double Fold tape and find the wider side (like we talked about above). Open it up to the very raw edge and line up the edge of the tape with the edge of your fabric. Make sure that you are placing the RIGHT side of the tape along the WRONG side of your fabric. Pin in place.
Once you are more comfortable with this…..you may actually skip the pinning part. I don’t like pinning because I feel like it gives me less control around the curves. But as you’re practicing, use pins until you’re more comfortable.
Then, keeping that raw edge of the bias tape lined up with the raw edge of the fabric, begin sewing along the first FOLD of the Bias Tape.
You can ignore all the marks on your sewing machine and just make sure you are sewing right along that fold. (Keep those 2 edges even too.) 
Once you finish, it should look like this.
Now, fold the bias tape up and around the edge of your fabric and pin the bias tape closed. See how nicely this stuff curves? Beautiful. :)
Sew along the inner fold of the bias tape, securing it to the fabric.
Now, because you already attached the back side of the bias tape, you don’t have to worry about catching it on the back side. In fact, your seam may have missed some of the bias tape along the back….but it doesn’t matter at all. (And generally you will be sewing with a matching thread so that you don’t even see the seam.)
And that’s it……..pretty cool stuff, right?!?!
If I forgot anything, let me know! But hopefully that helps clarify any confusion about Bias Tape.
So, grab some fabric and start cutting some strips of……because you have some Bias Tape to make!!!!
Good luck!
credit: makeit-loveit.com
