Essential Techniques: The Bias Facing
Facings make an important contribution to a garment’s appearance. Stability in areas such as the neck and armholes is enhanced by a facing. That’s why so many commercial patterns include facings as the preferred edge finish. Too often, however, typical shaped facings that extend into the garment by a couple of inches are floppy and bulky. Try a bias facing instead. Narrow, lightweight, and discreet, a bias facing is created from a folded bias strip that has been shaped to match the garment edge. The installation is fast and easy, and there are options for securing the facing’s inner edge. A bias facing is well suited to a range of fabrics and garments, from lightweight linen blouses to unlined wool jackets. You can match the facing to the garment or have fun with a contrasting material. Just be sure the facing fabric is compatible with the garment fabric in weight…
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When making a bias facing for a curved edge, such as a neckline or armhole, it's important to decrease the bias edge that is stitched to the garment. Consider a plain weave: +. Threads of the weave are perpendicular to one another. A decreased bias: X. The bias remains balanced and symmetrical. Cut bias strips can easily be stretched with handling. If your bias is cut 2" wide, but is 1-1/2" wide when sewn to the garment, it has stretched. A bias strip cut 2" wide and measures 2-1/2" wide has decreased. The amounts of the stretch/decrease are for illustration purposes only and will not necessarily apply to your fabric.