Bad Manners and Brimstone

Yes, they are easy to use (though you still need the steam iron: as you pull the fabric through the widget, you press it to keep its folds), and it's a MUCH quicker and easier way to make bias.

I recently got one and I love it! It makes beautiful, consistent bias tape very easily.
 As a side note, I've been making masks for the virus for all my friends, and when I ran out of elastic I resorted to making ties on the corners to tie round your neck and head. I cut 1" strips on the straight grain, run them through the bias tape maker, then fold them again so they're 1/4 wide and top-stitch them. So you don't have to cut your fabric on the bias to use the tape maker; it's useful for other things too.

I was just thinking of using mine, because I might have time and energy (and room) to actually make some masks.  And my aunt the quilter is sending me some of her fat quarters of tightly woven cotton. (I might have some appropriate fabric, but I’m not sure–and she, like most quilters, has a bunch of bins of fabric she probably won’t ever really use)

I have been using T-shirt strips for ties.

I have also seen a tip to buy a bungee cord & take it apart. Apparently there are a LOT of strips of elastic packed into one of those things.

Well, who knew?!! I learn such cool things here!

I saw a neat trick using two straight pins to make bias tape on a Youtube video (making face masks). I will share the video with you - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA41A5dBi70&list=FL8zBCqmdI_74VEnToTWE--w

The part about the bias tape starts at 20:12.

I tried the bias tape method in the video and it works pretty well.  I know I would get better at it with more practice.  Since I don't have one of those awesome wool mats, I set the pins in the top of my ironing board and had to reset them once.   I think the mat holds them a bit more securely.

Kind of cool.