Back with more cofia y tranzado! See Part 1 for more information on what we’re doing and why!

Tonight we finished up binding the one edge. So far I really like how the bound edge lays – I was worried that the binding might make the edge too firm, and make it lay against the head in an undesirable way. So far it’s looking good!

One quick note on how I do the back of my bias binding. It’s a blend of whipstitch and backstitch – I’m actually not sure if it’s historical, but it’s pretty secure and it’s plausible.

I start by inserting the needle underneath and up through the crease of the bias tape. Then I pull it out. Then I insert it under the tape, catching the linen and then the bias tape again on the other side. This ends up with a whipstitch-like catch around the edge (which you can see slightly on the bias tape not covered by my fingers) but also provides a nice bit of stability due to the backstitch-like nature of the catch.

I also like to finish off these stitches by retracing my steps, and then I thread the remaining tail underneath the bias tape. You can also do this when starting a thread – pull the knot underneath the bias tape before you bring the needle through the linen.

I don’t worry about finishing off the crown edge of this bias binding, because I know I’ll be covering it with the other bias tape on the finished piece.

All in all, I’m liking the look. I think it’s going to be very striking once it’s all assembled.