How to prepare a bias strip

In sewing you often need bias strips, they perfectly adapt to cureves and angles. You can get ready made bias strips in a good variety, but I prefer to have exactly the strip I want, in a certain matching fabric or just that hue of blue or red or whatever colour I am working with. Luckily, making your own bias strips is pretty easy.

"Bias" refers to the diagonal of the fabric, where it is more elastic.
In order to prepare your own bias strip, all you need to do is fold your fabric over along the diagonal and start cutting from there.

I am working on a fat quarter, so length and width are slightly different.
Start by folding the quarter diagonally into a triangle as shown below.

 Then I simply cut along the folded edge.

Cut enought strips to join them to the length you need considering that joining two strips you will lose a good inch.

Join the strips together as shown below, placing them right side on right side and sewing diagonally (like that the seam will run diagonally when the bias is folded and create less bulk).

 Continue joining all strips in the same way.
When done cut away excess seam allowance.

Iron the seams open.

And here's your finished bias strip.

Now all you need to do is iron it in form for it's intended use (for example ironing the seam allowance on both raw edges for binding etc.) and you have perfectly matching bias.

Have you made a project following this tutorial? Let me know what you think. Did you like it? Was it easy to understand and to follow? Do you have any suggestions?
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