How to Make Fabric Cording

Fabric cording is typically used in sewing projects where you want to add an additional detail around a sewn edge. In pillows and cushions, a length of fabric cording is often sewn into the side seam that goes around the edge of the cushion, adding an attractive finishing touch to the cushion.

You can purchase ready-made fabric cording, but if you learn how to make fabric cording yourself, you have endless fabric options available to you for matching and coordinating your next cushion project. The result of making your own fabric cording will be a higher quality cushion with perfectly coordinated fabrics.

Things You'll Need

• 3/8-inch wide cording (length determined by how much fabric cording is needed)
• 1/3 yard decorator fabric
• Tape measure
• Quilt ruler
• Cutting mat
• Rotary cutter
• Sewing machine
• Zipper foot
• Sewing notions (pins, thread, scissors, etc.)
• Fabric pen
• Iron

Instructions

1. 

   Place the fabric on a flat work surface with the selvage edges (straight, uncut edges of fabric that often have machine printing running along the sides) on the top and bottom as you are facing the fabric. Fold up the bottom left corner to the top selvage edge as illustrated.

2. 

   Cut along the fold made in Step 1. Place the cutaway triangle back in its original position on the diagonal fold. Move the triangle over to the other side of the fabric as illustrated.

3. 

   Align the edges and sew a vertical seam with 1/4-inch seam allowance to attach the triangle. Iron this seam open.

4. 

   Lay the fabric piece out on a work surface with the wrong side of fabric facing up. Measure and place lines every 1.5 inches with the fabric pen to designate the strips across the fabric as illustrated. You will be cutting these strips at a diagonal so that they are cut on the bias grain of the fabric. The bias grain of fabric runs at a right angle to the cross-wise and length-wise grains of the fabric.

5. Sew edge 3 to edge 4 to create a tube. Take the lower left corner of edge 3 and align it to the first marked strip line along edge 4. Place right sides facing each other and overlap the raw edges 1/4-inch to create your seam allowance. This will properly line up the strips when you sew the tube.

6. 

   Pin edge 3 to edge 4 as illustrated. Sew along the pinned edge and iron the seam open.

7. Cut the continuous strip by cutting around the sewn tube on the lines you made in step 4.

8. 

   Place the cording in the middle of the wrong side of the continuous strip cut in step 7. Fold one long edge of the strip over the cording to opposite long edge of the strip. Pin to secure.

9. Place the zipper foot attachment onto your sewing machine and sew right along the cording the entire length of the cording and continuous strip to finish the fabric cording.