Satin Twisted Cord On Pillows

Here is a recent sewing question many of you may also have: 

“I want to add a purchased satin twisted cord trim to throw pillows I am making, but can’t figure out how to connect the two raw ends of the trim where they meet so the connection is invisible yet secure. Any help you can offer would be greatly
appreciated…”
 

Sewing Friends: 

Here are a couple of methods on how to sew the ends of purchased satin twisted cord trim on pillows.

Method I

The most common method is to overlap the ends of the cord.

Turn the cut edges of the ends down into the seam allowance where they cross each other.

This makes this area a bit bulky to sew, so stitch carefully over both cords.

Overlap the cords along one of the longer edges of the pillow, not at a corner. 

You will see the cross-over of the trim as it goes into the seam allowance, but you won’t see the ends of the cord in the finished pillow.

This method works well for smaller cords that don’t create a lot of bulk in the seam allowance.
 

Method II

The second choice is to butt the ends, BUT, you need to do some things first or you will have a frayed mess.
 
Leave about 2 inches of loose tails at the beginning and end of your cord when you sew it to your pillow.

Where the cord should butt together, cover the area on both ends with a small piece of tape to keep them from fraying like they do in the fabric stores.  They tape the cord first and then cut through the middle of the tape. 

It is almost impossible to cut the cord first and then try to tape it. Cut the cord so the ends will butt together.  Then tape the two taped cut ends together with another piece of tape to join them.

Do not stich the cord ends to the pillow yet.
 
Cut a small piece of fabric that matches your pillow about 3 x 3 inches.  Sometimes, I’ve used a sheer see-thru fabric for this, so it isn’t as noticeable.

Press the raw edges of the fabric under.

Now, fold the fabric over to cover the butted taped ends of the cord.

Pin to hold in place. 

And then, using your zipper foot, finish sewing the cord ends with the little fabric cover to the pillow.

Continue sewing the pillow as usual. 

When it is finished, the small piece of fabric covering the ends of the cord where it joins together will show.  This method reduces bulk in the seam allowance and is good for larger cords.

You decide which you prefer.  You are the designer!
 
You might also enjoy reading the article, “What Is The Difference Between Piping And Cording And How Do I Sew It?” at:

http://sewingprojecttips.com/2006/12/13/what-is-the-difference-between-piping-and-cording-and-how-do-i-sew-it/

It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

PS:  Anyone else have any other ideas?  I tried using a seam sealant on the cut ends, but it didn’t work very well.

Satin Twisted Cord On Pillows

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This entry was posted on Sunday, February 4th, 2007 at 9:59 pm and is filed under Sewing Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.