Piping, glorious piping!

For this project you will need around 1/4 to 1/2 yard of fabric and four yards of utility cording. A rotary mat and rotary cutter is helpful.

Recently I was asked how to make piping. It just so happens that I am doing a project for a dear friend that requires piping. I've included a lot of photos and a small video clip. Please don't hesitate to contact me directly if you have further questions.

Step 1: prepare bias strips to cover your piping.

For those of you who are completely new to sewing, bias strips are lengths of fabric cut on the bias. They can be any width. It completely depends on what your use. Bias strips are used to bind curved edges, to cover piping and to make bias tape.

What's the bias? The bias is the diagonal weave or the weave that bisects the horizontal and vertical straight grains. Below are some pictures that will show you how to determine the bias.

(above graph taken from About.com)


This is the fabric I'm working with. You can't see it, but the selvages are to the left and right.


Above: I'm folding the fabric on a diaginal, from the lower right corner to the upper left corner.


Above: Here, the fabric is folded on the bias. The bias is now the vertical folded edge you see at the bottom of the triangle.


Above: To make the fabric easier to work with I've folded it onto itself in a second triangle. I've ironed the fabric to insure there are no wrinkles.


Above: I have prepared the fabric to cut. I will be working with the edge of the fabric my finger is pointing to, which is the bias.

Now we will cut our bias strip. I'm using a quilting ruler that is two inches wide. Our first cut will be on the fold so I will only be cutting an inch into the fabric. Every cut after the first cut will be two inches, or one full ruler width.


Above: I've positioned the ruler one inch into the fabric. Notice that the 2 inch ruler is only covering the fabric 1/2 way.


Above: Now I'm cutting on a raw edge. I'll cut the remaining bias strips two inches wide--the entire width of the ruler.

Step 2. Join bias strips

To join bias strips you first will need to iron each strip and then join them at a right angle. Essentially, you will take one strip, right side up, and lay another strip perpendicular to the first strip, right side down, and sew diagonally through the joint. I do a technique that is similar to strip piecing in quilting. I start my chain of bias joints as I described above and then rather than stopping, cutting the thread, and sewing a new joint, I flip the bias strip over so that the right side faces me and lay another bias strip right side down on top of the original bias strip. It's better if you take a look...


Above: I've laid one bias strip on top of another, right sides together. I will be bisect the joint by sewing from the left upper corner of the join to the right lower corner of the joint.


Above: you can see here that I am sewing directly through the two bias strips diagonally. You can complete the seam, cut the thread, lift the presserfoot and start a new joint; or you can continue sewing five or six stitches and pick up the next segment.

It's difficult to explain this, but basically you would stop sewing, take a moment to turn the tail of the newly joined bias strip so that its right side is facing you, place a new bias strip on top of the end of the bias strip you flipped over. Position it to gluide unde the presser foot and begin sewing.

Either way, your goal will be to create one long length of bias tape.



Above: If you chain piece your bias strips as I described above you will end up with the tangled mess you pictured. Not to worry, it's quickly untangled.



Above: To untangle your bias tape, simply snip all of the joining threads.



Above: now that everything is untangled, it's time to trim the excess from you joints. Once you've trimmed all of your seams/joints iron them all open and we're ready to start making piping!

Step 3: Make Piping

We will be creating a sandwich with our piping and bias tape.

Change your presser foot from a multipurpose foot or zig zag foot to a zipper foot.

Lay your bias tape right side down, wrong side facing you. Place your utility cord in the center of your bias tape. Fold the bias tape over your utility cord and place your presserfoot snuggly against the buldge of your cord. Start sewing using your left hand to guid the binding close to your presserfoot. You want to almost push your piping under the presserfoot. This will help you get a close fit. Here is a video...I was sewing and producing so, I thank you for your patience.





And Voila! finished piping. The next step is applying it to your pillow, slipcover, valence, or other home decor project. I'll be appling this piping to pillows. Look for those in the days to come.


~M

A simple scrappy tablecloth.

Here is a quick and easy tablecloth tutorial for anyone who is ready to dust off their sewing machine and get instant gratification. The whole project will take anywhere from an hour to three hours depending on your skill level and how many interruptions you have during the process.

First, you must choose your fabric. I used scraps, but I would recommend going with a heavier weight fabric like bottom weight fabric, linen weight fabric or home decor fabric.

Secondly, you must consider the size of your table. Most bottom weight fabrics are at least 52 to 60 inches wide. You can locate the fabric width on the top of the bolt along with care instructions and the fiber composition. If you are working with a 52 to 60 inch wide fabric and your wanting to cover a small table top, like a bistro table, then you won't need to double your width. However, if you're trying to cover a larger table, like say a 54 to 60 inch table, you will definitely want to double if not triple your fabric width. (Want to know for sure if you need to double your width? Lay your fabric on your table top like I did in the picture below. If you have enough fabric to cover your entire table top and still have a long enough drop around the entire table then you don't need to double your width.)

Okay, let's get started. If you need to double/triple your fabric you will need to measure the diameter of your table + the drop you want on your tablecloth (x2). (Note: the drop is the length you want your tablecloth to fall over the sides.)


Above: I've laid the fabric over the table so that the drop I want is present on both sides. Notice there is no fabric falling over the vertical sides, only the horizontal sides. This means that I need to double my width so that I can get an even drop on all sides of my table.
Diameter+drop(2)=T (total length needed)

Once you've done that, you will take two pieces of fabric the (T) and sew them together. To triple the width, you will again sew another section (T) of fabric to the first two. Make sure all seams are on the wrong side of the fabric (the wrong side will be the side of your fabric that lays flat against the table).


Above: Here you see I've joined two sections. If I had wanted a longer drop I would have joined another piece. (Note: the view above is of the wrong side of the fabric where the seam is exposed)


Now you will fold the your newly joined fabric in half vertically and then in half horizontally and then in half diagonally....We're making a triangle (see the image below). Now we will refer to our original equation: Diameter + drop(x2)=T .

Rather than trying to cut a gigantic circle we will take 1/2 of the diameter (the radius) + drop and use this as our new measurement. We don't need to multiply the drop because we're cutting half of the tablecloth...I know, it's a bit confusing, but trust me. We will measure from the tip of the triangle down towards the raw edges. We will cut on an arch, not a straight line.


Above: I've cut an arch in my triangle the length of the radius + the drop I want.

Now, for this version you're almost finished. But you could add trim, a flounce or lace. I've chosen to add a flounce to my tablecloth and I took that into consideration when I measured my drop length. If you're interested in learning more about adding a flounce or another embellishment to your tablecloth please contact me and I'll give you additional instructions.

The next step is to serge or stay stitch around the perimeter of your tablecloth. If you don't have a serger, a stay stitch will work just as well. Essentially, we're just trying to provide a road map for you to follow as we iorn our hem and stitch it in place.


Above: I've serged around the perimeter of the tablecloth.

Once you've stitched around your tablecloth you can iron the hem in place.



Next you will want to stitch your hem in place. I was going for a whimsical look so I used both a straight stitch and a zig zag stitch to finish my hem, but you could use one or the other or even a decorative stitch. Please notice, I'm using the right finger of my presser foot to guide my fabric along the the folded edge. This will give me a consistent hem and a straight even seam.



Finally, I move the presser foot over to the left so that the edge of the presser foot is against the first seam. This gives me a parallel, finished look that is functional in that it secures the raw edges of your tablecloth and is visually interesting.

Above: I'm pulling my top thread and bobbin thread out so that I can reposition my presser foot.


Above: I've repositioned the presser foot so that the right edge of the presser foot is against the first seam. Now I will sew a zig zag seam parallel to the original seam.


Above: The finished hem seam. Note how the zig zag stitch has interlocked the raw serged edge of the hem so that it doesn't fly away, roll, or fray.


Finally, the finished tablecloth. As you can see, this tablecloth has a shorter drop. You can make the drop longer if you wish. I choose a shorter drop so that it wouldn't be tempting for my children to grab during dinner :)

This is a great tablecloth to start with if you're interested in doing some home decorating projects. Before the week is out I'll post a table round, which is not exactly the same as a tablecloth. It has three simple seams and it is often used in many home decorating applications, as underskirts for dinning room/kitchen tables and as fancier table dressings. Often times table rounds will go all the way to the floor, but they don't always have to grace the floor.

Table Runner

Now that my its been received, I feel comfortable sharing some pictures of my latest gift. Let me first say that I love making gifts for my friends and family. If you haven't received one yet don't worry you will. My current list is long and very ambitious and it sometimes revolves based on birthdays or holiday celebrations. In addition to those factors, there are some people in my circle of friends that I'm just not exactly sure what they would really cherish. It's often a challenge to come up with the right gift, but when I do I'm fairly successful at conveying my love and appreciation through my handmade gift.

Here is the latest birthday present. It's a table runner, simple and unassuming, but absolutely perfect for her. I had the most fun making it and I loved they way it looked displayed on my coffee table. Here are the final pictures.

Quilt Crazy

As I said in my earlier post, it's been a rough couple months, but as my fears subsided and my anxiety decreased I started to rekindle my LOVE of sewing....It's only appropriate that I write about my passion, my lust, dare I say my escape from the monotony of daily life during February. And let me just say I've never felt so alive. I'm quilting in tandem, making gifts for loved ones--shhhhh, don't tell, and I'm exploring my limits and challenging myself.

Most recently I've started a Cathedral Window quilt. I'm using a method that is both machine quilting and handiwork and I absolutely LOVE it. It's liberating to spend a short time in the sewing room followed by a leisurely affair with my quilt while Chris watches Family Guy. It's a win win situation for everyone.

In addition to this long standing project, I'm working on a baby quilt for a friend (very overdue, I must say) and a wall hanging for a friend. There are other projects in the que. I have two pairs of slacks to make and a blouse to make before spring. I would also like to alter a rain coat I had made in Kuwait and make a tailored blazer for myself. It's fantastic and ambitious, but the reality of my "to do list" is that it might take me a year to complete, but at least I'm thinking about what I'd like to do with my time.

And for all of you who are thinking, " how does she have time for this with three kids, two dogs, three fish and a husband?" I say, time management! Lately I've realized I can barely go to the bathroom during the day, much less quench the desire to quilt or sew. So, I make time in the evening or during naps. I carve out little chunks of time here and there and it's enough to satisfy me until the next time I can retreat to my sewing room. And, as I noted earlier, I feel that I'm gaining experience...That is, I'm learning when to put the computer down to cuddle the boys or when to lock up the sewing room to tend to housework or even how to fit in a run when I've got a quilt calling. One day I'll have it all figured out. For now, I'm on the road to having it all under control.