An Easy Way to Turn Bias Cording Right Side Out
June 8th, 2009 in sewing, tips & tricks, embellishments
LOUISE CUTTING, contributor
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Photo: Louise Cutting
When you cover cording yourself you have all of the possibilities using the same matching fabric offers. You can use your cording for skinny shoulder straps, braid multiple strands for belting, knot buttons, couch embellishments and more. But turning a covered cord to the right side can be a struggle. I have found an easy way to turn the fabric--it depends on the cording you used inside.
1. Cut a bias strip of fabric the finished cording length. Sew strips together as needed to get the length you need.
2. Cut the strip wide enough to wrap the cord, plus ¾ inch for a seam allowance.
3. The cord...and here is the secret...is rayon "rat tail". The satin surface lets the fabric slide over the cord easily. Rat tail is easily found in the notions departments of fabric and craft stores. It doesn’t have to be a matching color because it won’t show with the completion of the sewn cording.
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4. Cut the rat tail cord twice the length of the bias fabric. Ex; if the finished bias cording is going to be 30 inches long, start with 60 inches of rat tail.
5. Securely stitch the WRONG SIDE of the bias fabric at the halfway point of the ‘rat tail’ cord as shown below.
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6. Fold the bias strip at the stitching you just finished so the strips right side is against the center of the cord as shown below.
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7. Use a cording foot and small stitches to sew through both layers close to the cord, starting at the secured end.
8. To reduce bulk, the seams can be graded.
9. Start at the end that was secured to the cord, using your thumb and index finger, (you might need to moisten them to get the bias fabric started, gently work the bias over the exposed ‘rat tail’ cord. Working slowly, make sure the bias fabric doesn’t twist.
10. With your other hand, grasp the cord that is starting to show. Continue to pull the bias fabric until the cord that was exposed is now covered. The bias fabric will be right side out. You have slid the bias strip from one side of the cording to the other side.
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11. Cut off the exposed cord and save it for a shorter bias cord project.
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Comments (13)
Do you sew along the cord on both sides of it? In which case a zipper foot would work.
Why do you need a cording foot? Or are you sewing over the cord? In a zig zag?
A picture of the stitches would really help please, as I don't understand .
Thankyou
From a puzzled New Zealander.
Posted: 2:59 am on June 30th
Please clarify. Posted: 3:48 pm on June 22nd
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Yes, if you leave enough extra length of the rat tail hanging out of the end of the 'tube' to pull in to snug up the fit and adjust in the final fitting. Of course this also depends on the style and materials your swimsuit is made of; many styles and materials do fine w/o the rat tail left inside.
But this produces a simple cord; if I'm understanding correctly, piping in its true sense needs the seam allowance on the outside to be sewn into the suit's seams. Perhaps CCSstudio is going to use this as a surface embellishment?
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Is my mind going... or does the clematislover solution end up with the cord outside the tube?
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Yes, no cord is left inside the tube as clematislover describes it, unless you follow Knit Daily's sew-the-center-of-the-rat-tail-to-the-short-edge-of-the-bias-strip-method.
Like clematislover, I too learned this other technique, but a very long time ago—in HS Home Ec class in the late 50s, for the spaghetti straps on our prom dresses that were the style then.
We knotted the cord, folded the bias strip over the cord (knot poking up on the outside) at the top short edge and sewed across the cord just under the knot, then sewed across this short half inch seam at the top edge with the zipper foot. Sew twice as insurance if your cord is thick or stiff as you'll be clipping the knot/cord off and the stitching may leave a gap.
If you were to use this cording to make, for example, surface embellishment like Chinese knots instead of sewing the ends inside of something like our straps, you'd want these end seam stitches to be even and tight.
Turn to come down the long side of the tube, right against the cord and after a few inches, clip off the knot, then begin to ease the end of the tube inside itself (great idea with the medical gloves!)
Continue to pull the cord as you sew and by the time you get to the end the cording is completely right-side out. No turning tubes needed!
I have designed miniature artist teddy bears since 1990 and the limbs of a 2" bear are sometimes only 3/4" long x 3/8" wide"—and furry napped inside as well; the devil's own time to turn right side out after hand stitching right along the edges with 20 sts to the inch.
These are treated in the same way: though these aren't nice straight bias-cut tubes, the same principle applies. I thank heaven for Sister Gregory, O.S.A., who insisted that every stitch be perfect or we rip them all out.....
Posted: 11:19 am on June 16th
Does anyone know if this cording would also be appropriate for piping on a bathing suit? Is there enough stretch in the cord?
Posted: 8:03 am on June 16th