Here is the way I cut my bias. The tutorial is by Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka's Treasures Designs. I do it a little differently, though. She says to cut off a thin slice of the folded edge, but I make my cut 1/2 the size of the finished bias. I feel as though I don't waste any of the fabric. You still have to sew the strips together, but I have better luck than with the spiral technique.
http://ankastreasures.wordpress.com/...t-binding-tip/