How to Make a Bias Tape Throw Pillow

Classic lines and simple geometry add a distinctive touch to your décor. Have fun with contrasting colors or indulge your fondness for tone-on-tone subtlety. The result is a simple object with striking effect.

Supplies

• Two 18″ x 22″ rectangles of fabric for the pillow cover
• Two 2″ x 22″ strips of color A (light gray fabric)
• Two 2″ x 22″ strips of color B (medium gray fabric)
• Two 2″ x 22″ strips of color C (dark gray fabric)
• Coordinating thread
• 1″ bias tape maker or large pin
• Glue stick
• Quarter-inch foot or edgestitch foot

Step 1) Fold the fabric strips.

Because we are not doing curved edges we can use fabric strips cut on-grain instead of on the diagonal.

With a Bias Tape Maker

Follow the instructions included with the tool

Without a Bias Tape Maker

Place your ruler on your ironing board, take pin and make a 1” gap by pinning a small amount of ironing board fabric,  leaving a 1” gap, and then pushing in the pin point on the other side.

Fold in both edges of your strip of fabric and gently push the strip through the 1” gap you made under the straight pin.

Pull about 1″ of the strip under the pin. Arrange the folds and press this section of the strip.

Let it cool, then pull a little more of the strip through the gap, making sure the edges stay evenly folded; press. 

Slowly pull the already-pressed end of the fabric strip, all the while pressing with the iron right next to the pin as the folded strip comes through the pin.

Repeat for all six strips.

Step 2) Arrange the strips.

Now you get to play around to see what design you would like to make with your strips. You can do random, all vertical, all horizontal, or weave them. This last picture I show you a weave of it but I placed it at an angle, for my son’s bed I’m choosing a weave off to the side.

For my son’s bed I’m choosing a weave off to the side.

Place some glue on the back of one of your tapes.

Tip: I used a regular Elmer’s Glue Stick, but you can also buy glue sticks that are specifically made for fabric, like the one shown in the photo.

Gently place the strip – glue side down – on one of the pillow rectangles following your planned design. Repeat for each fabric strip until your entire design is laid out.

If you are doing a woven design, do not pat down the tapes until you have all the weaving done. Then pat them down to secure the them to the pillow fabric.

Tip: I wanted to make sure my tapes wouldn’t move, so I pinned them in addition to gluing them down.

Step 3) Sew the strips to the pillow top.

To topstitch my tapes I decided to match the medium fabric so it would tie in all three fabric shades.

Attach the quarter-inch foot to your machine. Start topstitching by placing the edge of your tape right next to the most inside “notch” of the presser foot. Using this as your guide will give you a nice close-to-the-edge stitch. Stitch all of your tapes in place this way. 

Some of your tapes will be cross over others; this is okay. If you don’t want to stitch over the join, backstitch right before the tapes overlap.

Step 4) Assemble the pillow.

Place the embellished pillow front right sides together with the second fabric rectangle. Using 1/4″-wide seam allowances, sew around all four sides, leaving an opening in the middle of one side for turning.

Turn the pillow cover right side out. Stuff with fiberfill. Stitch the opening closed by hand.