Bias Cut Clothes...Who Cares?

The nice thing about bias cut cloth is...

it stretches.

The bad thing about bias cut cloth is...

 it stretches.

Those two statements sum up the dilemma of making bias cut clothing.

If you understand that from the outset, half your battle is won.

Cloth that has been woven with lengthwise threads (the warp)

and crosswise threads (the weft) but is cut at a 

 angle is considered a "bias cut." If the grainline, or center front/center back
 on the pattern is placed at a 45° angle to the selvedge, 

it is a "True Bias"

Every shaped garment has some "bias" within the construction

lines: a curved neckline, armholes and sleeves, the crotch curve 

of slacks. Strictly speaking, those angles will not 

be "true bias" except at some point as 

the seam curves around the body.

Considering a seam stitched "on the bias" will stretch, 

if I want the seam to stretch 

with the garment, I will switch from

a straight stitch to a narrow zigzag stitch. The stitch length

doesn't have to be especially tight. The point is to simply

add length to the stiching, so when the fabric stretches,

the thread will expand rather than break with the stress.

Making a tight "satin stitch" can distort the seamline.

If I don't want the seam to stretch

I will use some means to stabilize it. Shoulders, necklines and

sleeveless armholes are some examples of areas

I do not want to stretch.

There are many "ways and means"
of stabilizing a seam. The most obvious choice
 is rayon seam tape. I prefer narrow silk ribbon
 that is used for silk ribbon embroidery,
if I plan to "tape" a seam.
But then, I am a natural fiber junkie.

Then there is gravity!

When a bias cut garment is stretching around a snug part of the  body, 

it is getting shorter in length. If the weight of the cloth is 

pulling it closer to the body, the garment will get longer.

Another item affected by gravity is the man's necktie. 

If the tie has not been cut perfectly on the true bias, 

the tie will twist as it hangs from the neck.

Gravity affects different fabrics - well, differently.
Some trial and error, fabric preparation, and
 experimentation is necessary.
Cardinal Rule #1 - always buy more fabric
than you think you will need. Sometimes an
important part of "fabric preparation" is allowing the
fabric to drape, and let gravity do the work.

Another consideration is: when joining two pieces of cloth that

are each cut at a different angle, the seam can pucker. An A-Line skirt,

for example should have adjoining panels be cut at the same angle.

So with all this fuss, why would anyone want to sew "on the bias"?

Elegance ~ Comfort ~ Fit ~ Freedom

Before the advent of commercially available knit fabric for sewing,

a bias cut garment was the only way to achieve "that look" - 

garments that "appear to float freely on the body,"* 

caressing rather than constraining.

Or, you may ask, why do we wear tee-shirts?

But if you prefer a more sophisticated look than a tee-shirt, 

 then bias cut, woven, natural fiber fabrics are the way to go.

*the quote is how Wikipedia describes the fashion designs

of Madeleine Vionnet (1876-1975).

I first fell in love with the whole concept
 of bias cut clothing when 

Threads Magazine

published an article about Vionnet in the 

February/March 1989 issue, by author Betty Kirke.

Amazon still carries Kirke's book.

Problems became challenges, while "all the fuss" became
mysteries to be solved. What more could a designer want?

Footnote: In my profile picture, I am wearing
a bias cut linen shirt that I made.
The linen came from Fabrics-Store.com.