I've never applied piping before

[LizGo]

I am in the planning stages of resurrecting my sewing mojo.  I have a couple of jackets in mind  and am thinking piping would really punch them up a notch. Problem is I've never done this! Can anyone recommend a good tutorial? And if you would like to share some of your own personal wisdom, I'm all ears! TIA Liz

[datcat23]

Hey there, I really know what you mean about trying to get your sewjo going again .... I have regular bouts of "I am hopeless, and these machines are useless" episodes, although they are becoming less as I learn more. 

I don't know of any tutorials, but I can tell you about my own experience.  I made a linen dress ...... the fabric was stunning, but the pattern was a style I don't normally wear.  Sure enough, I made the mistake of cutting my fashion fabric before doing a muslin .... and of course the darn thing didn't fit.  While my first instinct was to turf the thing, I asked for some advice for options here, and then took the plunge.  I inserted panels in the side to give me more hip/tummy room, and instead of trying to hide the alteration, I piped the edged with a contrast, and made a feature out of the alteration.  My piping wasn't standard by any stretch.  I used 2.5cm bias binding, ironed it flat in half, then just sandwiched it between the seams.  With a 1cm seam, that meant that .5cm of piping poked out of the seam all the way along.  I seriously doubt its how the professionals do it .... but it worked for my dress.  And since I have actually worn the dress three times since I completed it, it was obviously a good enough solution.

If you would like to see my dress and its evolution ..... its here.
Sewing Discussion at Stitcher's Guild Sewing Forum » Types of Sewing » Individual Projects, Projects in Progress, and UFOs » Linen dress - wearable now

Best of luck with your jackets. 

[WendyW]

I'm currently making a top with piping in the seams, and have done several piped items in the past. Here's what I've found helps:

If you don't have a piping foot, use a zipper foot and put your needle position as far over toward the piping as the machine will allow.

If the piping and the fabric have the same seam allowance, it's easier to get the piping right on the seam line.

Sew the piping to one piece of fabric, then sew the two pieces together.

When sewing them together, put the piped piece on top. This keeps the bottom piece flat and makes it easier to keep the seam allowance correct.

After sewing them together, go over the seam again, guiding the fabric to be as tight against the foot as you can. I usually get this last seam about 1/8" closer to the piping than the first seam, which then looks better from the outside.

[Bunny]

Will your piping be corded or flat?

[KayoticSewing]

'Fashionsewingblogtv' on YouTube has a video on how tomake a piping and a video on how to sew it as well.

I am typing from my phone and can't get to it now but you should be able to find it there.