How to Apply Cording to Tablecloths

Cording is the rounded edge seen as a decorative addition to tablecloths.

Cording or piping are terms that describe a coiled cord, rope, or weld that has been sewn tightly into fabric. This fabric wrapped cord can be sewn onto other items, such as tablecloths, as a decorative edge. You can make cording at home or purchase it in a crafts store. It is best to buy or make cording that has a half-inch allowance of fabric that appears to "hang" off of the corded edge. By sewing this allowance in between the top fabric of a tablecloth and the tablecloth lining, you can seamlessly apply cording to tablecloths.

Things You'll Need

• Tablecloth
• Cording with 1/2" allowance
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine
• Zipper foot attachment
• Seam cutter

Instructions

Preparation

1. Cut the seams between the top fabric of your table cloth and the lining of your tablecloth to create two separate pieces of fabric. If you are making your own table cloth you may skip this step as you should already have two pieces cut for your lining and top fabric.

2. Place the top layer of fabric from your tablecloth right side up so that the main pattern is visible.

3. Lay your cording right-side down against the top layer of fabric and line up the raw edges together.

4. Leave one inch of cording hanging off the edge of the fabric.

5. Pin the top layer of fabric to the piping about a quarter of an inch from the raw edge where they are lined up.

6. Attach the zipper attachment to your sewing machine. The zipper attachment will allow you to maneuver around the piping easily.

Square Tablecloth

1. Stitch along the pins down the first side of your square table cloth.

2. Clip the piping when you reach the first corner up to the seam where the piping meets the allowance. Do not cut through this seam or the actual piping.

3. Turn the corner on with your sewing machine and continue sewing down the next side.

4. Repeat Step 2 and Step 3 for the subsequent corners and continue sewing along the pins until you come back to the one inch tail.

5. Pin along the seam where the piping meets the allowance and sew at this seam all the way around the tablecloth once more. You will not need to do anything special with the corners as they were cut previously.

6. Line up the raw edge of the lining of the tablecloth with the raw edge of the cording. The allowance on the cording should now appear to be sandwiched between the top layer of fabric that it is sewn to and the lining.

7. Pin along the seam where the allowance meets the cording all the way around the fabric.

8. Sew the lining to the top layer of fabric and the cording by sewing all the way around the tablecloth at the pins.

Round Tablecloth

1. Clip the fabric with scissors up to the seam allowance but not through the seam allowance where the piping bunches at the pins you attached during preparation. This is similar to cutting multiple corners in a square tablecloth.

2. Stitch along the pins all of the way around the table cloth. You can remove pins as you sew.

3. Pin along the seam where the allowance meets the cording.

4. Sew all of the way around the tablecloth at this seam. You can remove the pins as you sew.

5. Line up the raw edge of the lining with the raw edge of the cording allowance.

6. Pin again along the seam where the cording allowance meets the cording.

7. Sew across the pins all of the way around the tablecloth.

Removing the Tail and Closing the Cording

1. Use your seam ripper to cut through the cloth around the cord at the one inch tail.

2. Use scissors to cut the cord of the tail off as close to the sewndown edge of the cording as possible.

3. Sew down the excess fabric over the shortened tail to close off the edge.

References

• "Sew4Home"; How to Make and Attach Your Own Piping; Liz Johnson; June 2009
• "DesignSponge"; Sewing 101 - Piping; Grace Bonney; June 2010