Piping can be a fun way to add some flare to your creation, without having to add tons of yardage, like a ruffle may, or where a ruffle wouldn’t work as well, like in a waist seam. But sometimes it can be hard to find the right color piping in the pre-made stuff. Luckily, It is very easy to make your own and I'll show you how in this tutorial.
Piping is essentially bias tape with piping cord inside of it. You can buy it in various sizes, from micro-piping which is extremely narrow, to more traditionally thought of piping often bought in packaging.
The cording used for the interior of our DIY piping can be purchased at most craft stores, Amazon, and specialty sewing stores. You can also use a more narrow piece of yarn if cording can’t be found.
To make your piping you will first create bias tape with your desired fabric. You can find the Sunflower Seams blog post about making bias tape right here.
Once your bias tape is made, simply iron it in half, wrong sides together.
Next, run your cording along the fold of the strip of bias. At this point I like to put my zipper foot on my machine and sew down the length of the bias tape helping to secure the cording into the fabric.
And then that’s it! You’ve made your own piping perfectly coordinated for any project you’re working on!
When applying piping, add it so that the raw edges are caught in the seam allowance, and only the part with the piping will be shown. Often it is easier to baste in place and then continue the step you were working on.
Here is what the final results look like. Piping is such a versatile addition to any garment and can truly be used anywhere.
Happy Sewing!
-Grace
