I attended a sewing event recently and one of the attendees mentioned “true bias” when describing the very beautiful linen mandarin jacket that she had made. “True bias?” I thought, “what the heck is that?” And it was off to Google I went. Goggle defines true bias as:
Because I can actually read, the definition makes sense, but how exactly does that fit into what I am trying to accomplish with my sewing? It’s all a about the flow, baby! Perhaps “flow” isn’t the right word, but let’s make it fit. A garment cut on the bias has the 45 degrees flowing down over the body. Cutting fabric diagonally across the grain, causes the material to drape fluidly and elegantly across the body. It’s an expensive way to cut due to it’s inefficient use of fabric and is often used for silk or satin dresses for maximum slink factor.
Even after my elaborate understanding penned above, something was missing. It wasn’t until I spoke with Natasha over at HousefulOfNicholes that things made sense. She said, “Rememeber that skirt that you made that fit kind of funny?” Then the lightbulb went off. The skirt was cut ALL wrong and fit like a
wet sock on a cabbage patch kid.
Sewsational Stitch Snobbery 