Perfect Piping

Add interest to garment seams or edges with piping. It's simple to make perfect piping by covering cable cord or rattail cord with fabric.

Janome Supplies Needed

• Any Janome Sewing Machine
• Piping foot
• Cable cord or rattail cord - approximately 3/6" in diameter
• All purpose sewing thread

Instructions

1. Cut fabric into bias strips wide enough to wrap around the cord plus 1" (this will allow for approximately 1/2"seam allowance) times the length of piping needed.
2. Snap on piping foot. Select a straight stitch. Stitch length 2.2 or approximately 12 stitches per inch.
3. Fold bias strip around cord, right side out, matching raw edges.
4. Place fabric, with cord inside, under the presser foot with the cord in the right channel.
5. Sew, encasing the cord.
   The piping is now ready to add a professional finish to home decorative projects, such as pillows, or to garments for a designer look.
6. Place the piping on the right side of the project Pin in place, having all raw edges even. (For insertion into a pillow, place the other side of the pillow on top of the piping so that the piping is sandwiched between the two layers of fabric.)
7. Place the project under the presser foot with the piping in the left channel.
   Note: If your machine has variable needle positions, move the needle as close as possible to the piping without sewing through the cord inside.
8. Sew.
9. The piping has now been sewn perfectly to your project.
   Hint: To turn a sharp corner, stitch to the corner, stop witht he needle down, raise the presser foot and clip the piping seam allowance at the corner to the seam line. Turn the fabric, lower the presser foot, placing the piping under the channel of the foot, and continue sewing.

Extra Hint: To end the piping, either taper out towards the seam allowance or overlap the ends slightly with the raw edges going towards the seam allowance, and sew across.