How to add cording to a pillow? You could sew the pillow with a bias tape at its edges or by using a long piece of fabric.
Cording or piping is a piece of fabric wrapped around a cord and is sewn into a seam. The piping is placed in the middle of 2 fabrics that are to be attached.
Piping usually adds impact to the garment. It can make the pillow look livelier than without. Before, my pillow was too dull with just one color.
But now that I have found out a way to make it livelier, I did these steps. It worked out well for me, so I hope the same goes for you too.
In choosing the fabric for piping, any fabric will do depending on your preference. There are various ready-made piping available online also.
So are you excited to make your pillow with cording? Stay tuned, enjoy and let’s get on with it!
Materials You’ll Need
To make the pillow with a cord, you will have to prepare some materials needed.
- Cut Fabric (for pillow)
- Three yds. cord
- Sewing kit/sewing machine
- Fabric or piping
- Scissors
Steps To Make A Pillow With Cording
So, how to make a pillow with cording?
It’s as easy as 1, 2—3 as long as you follow these steps thoroughly.
Here are the steps on how to add cording to a pillow:
Step #1. Cutting
Cut two squares of your fabric or a pair of the shape of your choice. You will use 1 for the front and 1 for the back part of your pillow.
Measure the perimeter of the shape; this will serve as the length of your cord and piping.
Cut the piping and attach the cord to it by sewing the cord to the piping.
Face the two pieces of fabric with the piping at the edges.
Make sure to place the cord on the outer part of the pillow. This is in between the two fabrics. Pin it into place.
Step #2. Pinning
After pinning, sew the edges of the fabric along with the cord and piping. Start and finish at the bottom center of your pillow for a neater look.
Overlap the two ends of the cords for about 2-3 inches.
To ensure a bit fancier look, round the corners of your pillow.
Step #3. Make it neat
For best views or results, sew the edges near the cord. This will make an illusion of the cord sticking with the fabric and will look neater.
But keep 3-4 inches opening on one end to fill the filling in later.
Turn the fabric inside out and check for repairs. If all is good, then you may proceed to step 4.
Step #4. Filling
Fill in the desired filling of your pillow.
It could be made of fiberfill, feathers, latex, or foam.
Materials are available on the internet of the department store in your malls.
Making A Pillowcase
If you already have your pillow and you just want a replaceable pillowcase with a cord, just follow the following steps.
Measure
Measure the dimension and the perimeter of your pillow.
Then cut the fabric of your choice based on the dimensions you’ve measured.
Use the measured perimeter to determine the length of the cord and the piping.
Make sure to add a few inches to the length of the cord for overlapping later.
Pinning out
After cutting the materials, you will have to place the fabric facing each other.
If you are planning to have a zippered pillowcase, you can just use the bottom part of the fabric to sew the zipper into.
If you are going to make a non-zipper pillowcase, make sure to have three pieces of cut fabric.
In pinning the pillowcase with a zipper, just follow the steps on making the pillow. But leave the bottom part open.
If you are going to have a non-zipper pillowcase, overlap the two fabrics with the other one, the 1st piece will serve as your front and the two other pieces as the back.
Sew the two fabrics with 3-4 inches overlapping sides. This will prevent the pillow from going out of the pillowcase.
Sewing
After pining the fabrics, you are now going to sew.
You need to have a basic knowledge of sewing.
You can either sew with a sewing machine or by hand.
- Sewing by machine
Life is easier with the invention of tools and equipment. In sewing pillows, sewing them with a sewing machine.
There are two types of sewing machines. The manual and the electric drive. You could either choose one of them.
In my case, I use a Juki high-speed sewing machine. This sewing machine is durable and can do a lot of work.
Make sure to sew the piping together with the fabric of your pillowcase—the nearer to the cord, the better for a neater appearance.
- Sewing by hand
In sewing by hand, you should prepare a sewing kit. It consists of needles, a thread with the same color as your fabric, and a scissor.
For a neater look, try basting the piping with the cord first to the fabric. This way, the piping will be in place.
After basting, use a backstitch sewing. The smaller your sewing, the better your result will be.
After you have sewn all three sides and you want a zipper for opening, we will use the 4th side.
In sewing the zipper on the 4th side, you will have to place the bottom out. Also, leave the zipper a little bit open for easier turning later.
Finishing touches
After sewing, it is time to turn your pillowcase inside out.
If you have attached a zipper, open it and turn your pillowcase inside out.
If you did not use the zipper, you could still turn your pillowcase inside out by the gap between the two fabrics in the middle back of your pillowcase.
After turning, check for holes and loose thread on your pillow.
Make sure to cut the loose thread with scissors and do not pull on it.
Pulling loose threads will damage your work.
Also, look if you need to repair some things like uneven cording or if the cording hasn’t sewn quite right.
Conclusion
There are several ways to make your living room livelier than they were before.
Adding some decorations that are cheap and hand-made is also pleasing to the eye.
There are various designs of pillows that are available online.
Make sure to check them and find your preference.
If you’ve already done that, just follow our instructions in this article so you will surely know how to make a pillow with cording.
It is a good way to kill time.
You will learn new skills, have fun making and at the same time you made your pillows a lot livelier than they were before.
So what are you waiting for now that you know how to add cording to a pillow.
Prepare those materials you need and start designing your own!