Overview

Overview

Machine wrapped cording is a simple technique that produces cording that will color coordinate with your projects.

It’s a great way to use up old yarn, “what was I thinking” fabric and difficult or brittle thread.

It has many applications, both decorative and functional and can be made in any thickness. It can be used on garments, art quilts or even three dimensional fabric art.

By including optional variations you can add interest, texture and uniqueness.

Supplies

Supply List

• Sewing machine
• Machine Feet
  • You can use a standard sewing machine foot, however a foot with a “tunnel” underneath, such as a beading foot or cording foot is ideal.
• Base Cording
  • Anything that is flexible and thin enough to fit under the foot of your sewing machine will work for this type of cording.
    • yarn – a great way to use up old, ugly yarn
    • strips of fabric – a great way to use up that “what was I thinking” fabric
    • string
    • embroidery thread
    • piping
    • twisted cording
• Thread
  • You will need a variety of threads in cotton, rayon, polyester and metallic. This is a great technique for using up any old thread that you have lying around

Things To Know

Things To Know

• Keep the yarn taut as it passes under the needle
• Use the same color or a coordinating color thread in the bobbin
• Use up your old thread for the first and/or second layer of stitching as this will become invisible or barely visible by the time you’re done
• If your thread breaks or you run out of thread, simply rethread and pull the broken threads towards you alongside the cording, stitching over them as you go
• Don’t plan on completely covering the base cord with only one layer of stitching. Depending on the type of base cord, it may take two or three layers of stitching to completely cover it
• For soft, flexible cording use yarn or a soft fabric as your base and stitch a minimal number layers on top
• For a firmer cording, use a stiffer base such as string, or add more layers of stitching
• When cutting the cording, use a little fray check to stop the stitching from unraveling

Basics

Sewing Machine Setup

Machine Feet

The best foot to use is a braiding foot or a foot with a “tunnel” underneath such as a beading foot. These types of feet are the easiest to use as they will allow you to easily guide the cording.

You could also use a standard foot with feed dogs up, or a darning foot with feed dogs down and manually guide the cording under the foot.

Tension

At normal tension, the top thread will wrap halfway around the cording and you will need to use the same thread in the bobbin as on the top.

If you use a slightly loose top tension, the top thread will wrap all the way around the cording and you can use either the same thread in the bobbin or a coordinating color.

The Basics

This photo demonstration will show you how to machine wrap three strands of 8 ply yarn with a standard foot and feed dogs up.

• Cut your base cording to the desired length. Three strands of 8ply yarn will produce approx 1/8” diameter cording.



• Set your machine for zigzag stitch wide enough for the needle to swing entirely over the yarn on either side. Length should be about 1.5 - 2.0.
• Allow about 2-3 inches of cording to extend out the back of your machine, and holding the tail of the cord with your left hand and twisting the front section with your right hand, guide the cording under the foot. You may need to pull slightly in order for it to feed through smoothly. Zigzag along the length of cording.



• Shorten the length of your stitch to about .5, or shorter if you are using fine thread and holding the cording in the same manner, satin stitch the length of the cording.



• Using the same stitch length, change your top thread and bobbin thread, and satin stitch the length of the cording.



• Lengthen your stitch to 1.5 – 2.0, change to a metallic thread in the top and bobbin and zigzag the length of the cording.

Options

Options

There are many options you can use to add surface texture, color and design to your cording that will make it unique and interesting.

Following are just a few ideas:

1. Stitch a length of fine craft wire into the first or second layers of stitching. This will allow you to manipulate the cording so that it will retain shape.

2. To add texture, you can make bumps in the cording by moving backwards and forwards a number of times whilst stitching. Do this on your final layer of stitching, or before you add a final metallic layer.

3. Wrap strands of fiber around the cording and stitch in place at intervals, or cut short pieces of decorative yarn or fiber and stitch into the cording.

4. Cover your base cord with white thread - cotton or polyester - and hand paint. If you want a bit of sparkle, use a glitter topcoat, or use a metallic paint. If you are adding metallic thread, stitch it after you have dyed the cording.

5. Use bobbinwork thread. Wrap the base cord with your main color. Change to a contrasting or blending color bobbin work thread, then stitch over the top. You can play with the tension in both your top tension and your bobbin tension to achieve different effects. This sample is Ricky Timms Razzle Dazzle, one of my favorite bobbinwork threads.

This should give you a starting point to work with, but what else can you do; how far can you take this?

Applications

Applications

Now that we know how to make the cording and add variety and interest, what can we do with it? Let’s explore some applications.

Couching

The cording on “Circles” has been couched down around the outer edge of the main circles to add definition. The thread used on the cording is the same as was used for the free motion quilting. This offers a sense of unity.

Attachments

Using cording is a great way to join paneled quilts. On “Scrapbook” and “Morocco”, the cording was used to join the panels together.

Small buttonholes were sewn close to the edges of the panels and the cording was threaded through, cut to length, and then the ends were tied in a knot to prevent them from slipping through the holes.
This is a good application for irregular shaped panels such as “Scrapbook” since the cording can be cut at varying lengths to provide overall balance and alignment.

Decorative beads were threaded to the cording on “Scrapbook” to provide interest.

Decorative

The cording can be used for decorative purposes. A wrought iron gate on “What Lies Beyond” was designed by using cording with fine craft wire stitched into. The wire enables the cording to be easily shaped. Once the design was complete, the pieces of cording were handstitched together, and then the completed unit was handstitched to the background of the quilt.

The cording on “Puddles” was shaped without using wire, and handstitched to the background of the quilt.

Additional Ideas

Weaving

Frogs and Chinese Knot Buttons

Edging

Decorative Cording for Jewelry/Purse Straps