In our last blog post we talked about the basic structure of wovens and knits. One of the trickiest things with cutting out a woven is ensuring that you are on grain, but there are some sewing patterns that you may want to cut off grain.
Most commonly bias cut skirts and dresses!
If you don’t know! The Bias is the 45 degree angle of the fabric and it is the part of material that has the most stretch.
Cutting something on the bias can be tricky and time consuming. Here are our top tricks to making cutting on the bias easier.
- Cut out one layer at a time. Often when making something bias cut you will be working with lighter weight materials that are slippy and it is crucial to make sure your pattern is sitting properly on that 45 degree angle.
- Take your time with your pattern placement. Cutting on the bias typically results in more fabric waste so taking your time laying out every pattern to fit together efficiently will ensure that you don’t run out of fabric.
- If you’re working with a really slippery fabric it may help to lay some tissue paper down and pin your material to the tissue to prevent the material from shifting as you cut.
- When sewing you have to be careful not to stretch the material because the bias can ripple along the seams. So be gentle with your fabric (I would do a practice run on scrap material before sewing your garment to understand how to maneuver your hands). If you have too much trouble you could opt to get a walking foot to help the fabric work through evenly.
If you need any help maneuvering your bias cut project you could always rent studio time to use our walking foot or schedule a private lesson with us to get professional seamstress assistance.
