[WhimsyTyme]

Good morning mamas! I am here to seek your wisdom

When shopping for fabric - is there a way to tell if it will wrinkle badly when whashed and dried? I have lots of different cottons, for example, some wrinkle and some don't. It is hard to tell if I can use it for a particular project when I am buying it, if I don't know if it will wrinkle. I am thinking there is something in content or feel/texture that I should be looking for. Too, the fabric shop I go to does not necessarily have the fabric on it's original bolt; thus, care instructions can be hard to come by.

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I am making some of my own piping and also using premade.

Making my own from bias tape - When I run out of one strip and need to move to another do I fold the edges of the tape, overlap and continue on the same strip of piping or cut and start a seperate piece?

When sewing with mine or premade and I need to add more do I overlap the ends a bit or butt it end to end?

Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[Kari_mom]

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Making my own from bias tape - When I run out of one strip and need to move to another do I fold the edges of the tape, overlap and continue on the same strip of piping or cut and start a seperate piece?

Sew the ends of the bias tape together to make one continuous strip before covering the cord for your piping.

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When sewing with mine or premade and I need to add more do I overlap the ends a bit or butt it end to end?

Of course, try to use a piece large enough for the section of your project you are working on, but this isn't always possible. What I do is overlap the ends a bit, but first I reduce the bulk and blend the join. I pull the cord out a bit from one end, trim about 3/8" off, then pull the bias tape back again. Then when I sew, I overlap the ends so that the cording does not overlap, and pull the ends into the seam allowance.
I was taught this by my neighbor who ran her upholstery shop.

Another technique for this is to open up one end of the piping, cut away about 1/2" of the cord, fold the raw edge on the end under about 1/4", and put it over the end of the new piece of piping. It looks like a seam but isn't, it goes straight across the piping. Because piping is covered with bias, all the seams in the piping are diagonal.

Quote:

When shopping for fabric - is there a way to tell if it will wrinkle badly when whashed and dried?

I think firm, smooth weaves wrinkle the least. I avoid anything that looks like it has a lot of sizing keeping it smooth on the bolt or just looks cheap. If I am not sure, I will crumple the corner in my hand and see if the wrinkles release. Mostly I think it is experience. Maybe someone else has the magic answer for this one.

HTH! What are you making, BTW?