I just want to thank you for the fabulous index of past issues! I am making McCalls 4599, which is an Oriental-style jacket. It has piping on every single edge AND facings (we’re talking front opening, hem, sleeve hems). Well, piping is my bugaboo…it never comes out lined up, and I always regret making the commitment.
Anyhow, as I was planning my layout, I realized that I should use whatever I get for the piping for the facings too, as my outer fabric is a quilted denim, and would be too heavy. Then I remembered an article in Threads about sewing a facing in a way that made it look like piping. Although I’m pretty sure that one of the Ericsons suggests that you just press it that way, I remembered that there was a picture of a cute little girl in the story I wanted. After dragging out most of my old copies of Threads, I decided to try the online index. Voila! It was Issue 104, with the funky slippers on the cover, and right there it said: “All-in-One Piping and Facing.” Took me a few more minutes to locate the issue, but now at least I knew what I was looking for…and that cover is VERY colorful!
Thanks, Penny
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Me again! While leafing thru some of the other copies I dug up, I found "Simply Silk" by Frances Cowan in Issue 74, which showed a simple way to do a mock-piped edge, and a tip in Issue 75 by Diane Ericson, suggesting the "facing slightly pressed to the outside" technique that I thought I remembered.
After testing all three methods, I think I like Cowan's best...it looks good and there's very little bulk on the back. The piping and facing method looks good, too, but it seems to stand out more than I like. I will test again when I have the actual fabric and smaller piping.
I'm glad you found several options to try out. It's nice to feel confident when you diverge from the given pattern instructions.
Carol
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