Magda Berliner and a Mini Tutorial: Piping

I am so in love with pretty much every piece in Magda Berliner's fall collection. The lace inlays and wooly dresses are absolute perfection....



Here we have a perfect illustration of why you should always make your own piping. It allows you to have piping made from any fabric you choose, particularly, the fabric that may already part of your design so you never have to be limited to what the notions shop has to offer. Buying ready made piping happens to be the biggest waste of money in the world. This is how to make it:

The players:

Fabric of your choice &....
Cording (made of natural fibers or that can at least withstand the heat of an iron)
Cutting Mat
Ruler (a dress makers ruler is always the best but any ruler will do)
Marking Pen or Pencil
Rotary Cutter or Scissors
A Zipper Foot or a Cording Foot for your sewing machine


Step 1: The first thing you need to do is to determine the width and length of the finished piping. If you have a 1/2" seam allowance then you need multiply you seam allowance by two (1") and add the circumference of the string (For a rather thin kind like the one I am using I added 3/8" but if you're really not sure you can measure it with a tape measure.) In my case my bias strips will have to be 1 3/8".

Step 2: Now you're ready to mark and cut your fabric. Cut bias strips of fabric using the markings on your cutting mat as an aid when marking.


Step 3: Now cut your cord slightly longer than your bias strips.



Step 4: Fold your bias strips in half lengthwise and press. Place your cord right in the center of the fold and pin into place (the pinning is optional :)


Step 5: Now you are ready to sew. If you are using a cording foot (which I prefer but only works for thin piping) the string should pass right through the center. If you feel it slipping away from the center fold just pull on the end to straighten it. Keep in mind that bias strips s t r e t c h quite a bit so you should try to keep the fabric from stretching as best you can, otherwise your seam allowance will be shorter than your desired width. Sew right along but not through the cord.

(Cording Foot)

Same thing goes if you are using a zipper foot except that your zipper foot will be just to the right of the cord.

(Zipper Foot)

Step 6: Now you're done with your piping. Yay. Just sew it into place along the same stitching line. It should fit perfectly along the seam line.


Tada.... Now you are 1 step closer to being as awesome as Magda Berliner... the end...