How to Finish Sewing Large Twisted Piping

Pillow with small twisted piping.

Creating a finished look for the ends of large twisted piping begins when you first pin the piping to the project. Encasing the raw ends of the piping inside the project hides them and prevents fraying. There are two possible ways to hide the ends. You can turn the ends down into the seam so that the curves just touch for a casual look or you can allow the ends to overlap on the outside of the project for a more formal look.

Things You'll Need

• Pins
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• Thread

Instructions

Overlapping Ends

1. Pin the piping to the edge of the back side of your project, starting in the center of the bottom side. The edge of the lip on the piping should be even with the edge of the fabric. This places the twisted cord toward the center of the fabric. The first end of the piping should extend beyond the edge of the fabric with a gentle curve.

2. Pin the twisted piping around the entire edge until you reach the starting point.

3. Lap the last end of the piping over the first end by 1 inch. The last end should also extend beyond the edge of the fabric. This will place the ends on the inside of the project. The ends of the piping should have a gentle curve, not a sharp angle.

4. Baste the lip of the piping to the fabric. Use a zipper foot so that you can sew close to the twisted cord.

5. Sew on the other side of the fabric by stitching along the basting seam.

Curved Down Ends

1. Pin the piping to the fabric as described previously. Make a 90-degree angle in the first end of the piping so that the end of the piping extends beyond the edge of the piping.

2. Make a 90-degree angle in the final end of the piping when you reach the point where you began pinning the piping. The two ends of the piping should touch, but not overlap. Both ends of the piping should extend beyond the edge of the fabric so that they will be encased in the project.

3. Baste and sew the piping on as described earlier.