DD: Piping it!
Aug. 18th, 2010 09:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
janestarzRemember: all pictures can be clicked for a larger size, and the Flickr album is here!
After going to the gym with Palanthe (it had been too long!) and a good work-out, I had to admit I needed half an hour torecover work up the courage to do something useful last night. A-piping we would go!
Piping = paspelband in Dutch. You can insert piping in seams for a striking contrast.
The white stuff is piping I once bought from a wholesaler. It was, supposedly 100% cotton and was supposed to be dye-able. Since it wasn't, I had covered the original white piping with red poly-taffeta for my Henriëtte coat that preceded the Mayor's coat.
As you can see, the cord I bought for this project's piping, is rather thicker than the other stuff. The piping will be fuller and more pronounced.
I do think this blue poly-taffeta is a little less sparkly than the red I used before, so as for bling-factor, we'll just have to see which is bling-ier!
The white stuff from the wholesaler isn't completely useless though! I can use it for the lining, where it'll be less obvious. I'm not going to use it in the vertical seams though...
I sew my piping using a piping foot. It's got a little cut-out part for the cord, and because my needle position is adjustable, you can sew just as tight as you like. I just wrap the white piping into a strip of the fabric, and sew along (I opened the strip to illustrate, normally it'd just be folded perfectly).
The piping foot is a dream, because you can use it on any seam and it shows the ideal needle position. The only downside I've found to it so far is that you can't use the IDT / walker foot with it. (I have a Pfaff)
I will use the brown piping for the top of the inner pockets. I just sew the piping in between the pocket outside and a bit of facing, finger press, and topstitch facing and piping down. In regular seams, topstitching isn't necessary, but I don't want to fight with pocket facings.
Using a quilting ruler, I cut strips of 3 cm (er...one and a quarter inch?) wide. You can cut your strips smaller, I suppose, depending on your cord size, but this gives me a margin for error and isn't hell to handle while sewing.
I cut mine on the straight of the grain. You can also cut them on the bias, which can be really interesting on changeant fabrics or fabrics with a different colour for warp and weft. I have a rayon fabric that's black and white that'll really sparkle should I decide to make bias-cut piping out of it.
I cut off the selvedges, because they really do show and are hideously ugly in piping. Especially the little 'holes' the loom leaves in the taffeta. Sew, trim and (finger)press seam allowances open.
I sew like the pin is positioned, so the seam is diagonal over the piping. It will be less obvious and less bulky than a straight seam.
And my finished work for the evening!
I could pull the piping through the serger so the taffeta won't fray. Taffeta fluff is horrible...
After going to the gym with Palanthe (it had been too long!) and a good work-out, I had to admit I needed half an hour to
Piping = paspelband in Dutch. You can insert piping in seams for a striking contrast.
The white stuff is piping I once bought from a wholesaler. It was, supposedly 100% cotton and was supposed to be dye-able. Since it wasn't, I had covered the original white piping with red poly-taffeta for my Henriëtte coat that preceded the Mayor's coat.
As you can see, the cord I bought for this project's piping, is rather thicker than the other stuff. The piping will be fuller and more pronounced.
I do think this blue poly-taffeta is a little less sparkly than the red I used before, so as for bling-factor, we'll just have to see which is bling-ier!
The white stuff from the wholesaler isn't completely useless though! I can use it for the lining, where it'll be less obvious. I'm not going to use it in the vertical seams though...
I sew my piping using a piping foot. It's got a little cut-out part for the cord, and because my needle position is adjustable, you can sew just as tight as you like. I just wrap the white piping into a strip of the fabric, and sew along (I opened the strip to illustrate, normally it'd just be folded perfectly).
The piping foot is a dream, because you can use it on any seam and it shows the ideal needle position. The only downside I've found to it so far is that you can't use the IDT / walker foot with it. (I have a Pfaff)
I will use the brown piping for the top of the inner pockets. I just sew the piping in between the pocket outside and a bit of facing, finger press, and topstitch facing and piping down. In regular seams, topstitching isn't necessary, but I don't want to fight with pocket facings.
Using a quilting ruler, I cut strips of 3 cm (er...one and a quarter inch?) wide. You can cut your strips smaller, I suppose, depending on your cord size, but this gives me a margin for error and isn't hell to handle while sewing.
I cut mine on the straight of the grain. You can also cut them on the bias, which can be really interesting on changeant fabrics or fabrics with a different colour for warp and weft. I have a rayon fabric that's black and white that'll really sparkle should I decide to make bias-cut piping out of it.
I cut off the selvedges, because they really do show and are hideously ugly in piping. Especially the little 'holes' the loom leaves in the taffeta. Sew, trim and (finger)press seam allowances open.
I sew like the pin is positioned, so the seam is diagonal over the piping. It will be less obvious and less bulky than a straight seam.
And my finished work for the evening!
I could pull the piping through the serger so the taffeta won't fray. Taffeta fluff is horrible...
