For any kind of dress, adding piping is a wise decision to get some contrast or pop of colors. But to look elegant, you need piping with great quality fabric and smooth stitches. Unfortunately, getting the perfect piping is hard to get. You need to make and attach the piping perfectly with the help of a tool named presser foot.
The presser foot helps to create and attach the piping by assisting in feeding fabric at a steady rate. Using this tool is quite simple, you can do great after a few tries. Stay till the end to know more about the presser foot for piping.
Which Presser Foot Need for Piping
If you are already familiar with sewing, you probably know that you need a stitching needle which is assisted by a feed dog and a throat plate. And during the stitching, a presser foot is used to control the movement of the fabric, to keep the fabric flat while it is pushed through the machine.
The presser foot holds the fabric in place with the help of the adjustable spring-loaded presser. For different sewing machines and different purposes, you need different presser feet, such as the square foot, zipper foot, satin foot, zigzag foot, or clear view foot.
To work with piping, you will need the piping presser foot which is the same as the zipper foot. Every presser foot for piping is consist of two deep grooves along the base to hold the piping, cording, or zipper in place while you work.
When using the presser foot for piping, you can adjust the pressure anytime. When you feel that the fabric will slide even when the presser foot is down, in this case, you have to increase the pressure. On the contrary, if the feed dog can’t move the tightly placed fabric, it’s time to decrease the pressure on the presser foot.
How to Use Presser Foot for Piping
You can use a presser foot for both creating and attaching the piping, but the use of the foot differs for both of these purposes. Don’t forget to adjust the pressure of the presser foot for each work. If your piping fabric is thick, it’s best to use a pressure level of 1 or 2, but for lightweight fabric, level 3 or 4 is recommended.
1. To Create Piping
First, you need the cording and a strip of fabric of almost 2” width that you want to wrap around the cord and make the piping. Then place the cord in the center of the fabric strip and pin it in place in your sewing machine.
After that, you have to place the wrapped cord into the left groove of the presser foot and let the fabric out to the right of the presser foot. Now you can sew down the length of your piping and make the perfect ones.
2. To Attach Piping
For attaching piping to your project, you will need to place the piping between two pieces of fabric and then your piping will be sewn into the seam itself. When stitching the seams together, the piping presser foot will come in to save the say.
Because the needle is need to be as close as it can get to the piping cord without sewing over it while stitching. The presser foot helps in not getting in the way of the needle in this case.
You just have to pace the piping cord under the left groove of the presser foot and sew right off the piping and keep the raw edges of the fabric sandwich over to the right of the foot.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
What does one need to remember while adjusting the pressure of the presser foot?
While you are adjusting the pressure, remember to lower the presser foot lever to avoid unnecessary complications and look carefully at how thick the fabric is. You can try stitching a corner with any pressure level and adjust according to the result.
Can I sew piping without a presser foot?
Your sewing machine can work without a presser foot, but it will be your responsibility to feed the fabric through the machine. It will take a lot of practice to do the piping with smooth and neat stitching without a presser foot.
What is a standard presser foot?
A standard presser foot is usually used to sew straight and zigzag stitches on lightweight or heavyweight materials. since it has a wide needle entry opening, it can be used for different applications, and stitches on a variety of fabrics.
What will happen if my presser foot keeps falling off?
If your presser foot isn’t securely tightened with the foot holder screw, the presser foot or the holder may fall off. It may cause the needle to break or bend, and can also mess with the thread tension.
Closing Statement
Using a presser foot for piping is no elephant task, you can use it like an expert in no time. But when you are sewing, keep in mind that you need to adjust the amount of pressure that the presser foot will exert on the fabric depending on the variety of the fabric you are using, otherwise your project won’t turn out satisfactory.
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