long about 2019 I suddenly became aware of “border prints” and how perfectly amazing they are for use in bag-making. They surely became available much sooner than 2019 but now that I’ve found them….
I can’t stop using them!
Studio Kat DesignsStudio Kat DesignsOne of the most common border prints you’ll find nowadays is a “four-border” print and this one byJason Yenter of In The Beginning Fabrics is a great example. This four-border print turned out to be perfect for our Bangle Buddie design. We also used the print to good advantage on the strap/handle areas. Studio Kat DesignsStudio Kat DesignsConversely, this fabric is a “One-Border” print that also has a slightly different striped area in the center. The useful thing about a print like this is that the “blank” area at the border can be used to great advantage in a bag to draw specific attention to the design aspects of a bag in much the same way that “white space” draws attention to specific areas in advertising. We used BOTH the striped area of this fabric as well as the “blank” area at the border in this Bangle Buddie sample.Studio Kat DesignsStudio Kat DesignsHere’s another “four-border” print from In The Beginning Fabrics that we decided to use in a totally different way. For this Gateway sample I chose to NOT use either the “blank” area at the top of the design OR the “zebra-type stripe at the bottom of each border area. This was partly because this was a small bag that made it difficult to make use of the whole printed area and also because I SO loved and preferred the colorful foliage instead. Studio Kat DesignsStudio Kat DesignsNow THIS fabric is a “Double-Border” print which gives us TWICE the amount of “blank” area which we used to good advantage in the ErgoMatic sample. See how the “blank area” effectively breaks up the busy bubbly area and effectively directs your attention to the design silhouette? And even though the ErgoMatic is a tall bag, this double border print works perfectly for it (where the four-border print is more appropriate for smaller bags). Another thing I love about border prints is that it makes fussy-cutting less complicated and a LOT less wasteful when it comes to fabric. And if you closely… for this Double Take sample I DID utilize the contrasting borders between these prints to good ADVANTAGE both on the bag sides and ESPECIALLY for the bag strap! Where could I have found a more more perfect coordinating print than this?
“But… what about bias tape”, you might ask?
Because if we cut our bias tape on a standard 45 degree angle for this 4-border print, we’ll wind up with a striped bias tape and that’s most likely not the look we’re going for… right? RIGHT!!
But here’s the deal…
Who said bias tape HAS to be cut on a 45 degree angle?
Because the truth is… regardless of what anyone else tells you, bias tape can actually be cut on ANY angle, not just at 45 degrees! (Check out the picture at left to see the actual angle at which I cut the bias tape for the “Chateau” bag shown above.)
So just remember this… as long as you’re cutting your bias tape ACROSS the grain rather than ALONG the grain, then your bias tape will have ALL the s-t-r-e-t-c-h you’ll need in order to finish your bag in a beautiful way!
And now, it’s YOUR turn!
If you have comments you’d like to share or questions you’d like to ask about using border prints or cutting bias tape, please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.
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Thanks Cathy— I hope it turns out to be useful for you! 🙂
Cathy Prwivoon April 10, 2023 at 6:37 am
Love the border piece, and I’m happy with the different ways you have demonstrated that they can be used. Especially the bias tape finding. I had always thought that sticking to the 45° was really necessary, you demonstrated that in fact, worked well either way. Thank you for the information.
Bunnie Clelandon April 10, 2023 at 6:46 am
So happy you have discovered border prints! I usually wind up cutting my bias at 30° to line up with my other cuts. Works great!!!
So much food for thought, wonderful information.
Thanks Cathy— I hope it turns out to be useful for you! 🙂
Love the border piece, and I’m happy with the different ways you have demonstrated that they can be used. Especially the bias tape finding. I had always thought that sticking to the 45° was really necessary, you demonstrated that in fact, worked well either way. Thank you for the information.
So happy you have discovered border prints! I usually wind up cutting my bias at 30° to line up with my other cuts. Works great!!!
Saves so much fabric too!:)