What is welting? Here’s how to make it a DOUBLE and how to USE it!

It’s the final day of our discussion about piping and welting. How quickly the week passes when we’re having so much fun. I hope you had a chance to try turning a corner using piping or creating a seamless join – it’s so easy! This week, I used the Husqvarna Viking Opal 670 to make my samples. I had such great fun with this sewing machine. The tension is superb, and it performs above and beyond.

Husqvarna Viking Opal 670

Even though I’m mostly a quilter, I love to play with the accessory feet for my Husqvarna Viking sewing machines. Why? It expands my options for creativity, and we saw how fantastic the piping was as an accent around the binding or as a pop of color between various sections of a table runner.

And imagine the possibilities if you’re making a fidget quilt or a child’s activity quilt. The piping can add texture to a fidget quilt; different piping diameters can help a child learn the difference between small, medium, and large. Or create blocks with varying numbers of piped seams to help a child learn to count.

The more I experiment with sewing machine accessories, the better I handle any design challenge that comes my way.

Today, it’s all about welting. I puzzled over this term for the longest time, and as I said earlier this week, it’s really another word for piping, but welting is often referred to in the furniture world, while piping is for garment sewing.

Earlier this week, I used the Single Welt Cord Foot to make piping with a thicker cord, and today, I’m using the Double Welt Cord Foot.

I had difficulty finding someone with furniture with double welting as trim, but my friend Helen has a dining room chair with double welting around the bottom.

A chair with double welting as trim around the edge of the upholstery

Here’s a closer view of the welting. In furniture, it acts as a trim to tidy up the edges where the upholstery meets the wood.

A close-up of the double welting used on the chair

I’m not planning on upholstering any furniture soon, so why do I want to use the Double Cord Welt Foot?

Let’s start by looking at how to make the double welt as there are two different methods, and they each have a unique way of attaching them to the project.

While shopping for some cord the other day, I came across a piping cord used specifically for furniture called T-Braid. The fiber content is paper, so you wouldn’t put it in an item to be laundered. It’s a great example of why we need to know the fiber content of what materials we plan to use and the end-use of our project!

Method 1 for making a Double Welt Cord

Take two lengths of cord and a wide strip of your piping fabric. The piping fabric is prepared the same way as for other piping methods – cut the strips on the bias (for curves) and join them with a diagonal seam, which is pressed open. The fabric strips should be somewhat wide (about 2”), and you’ll trim the excess fabric away before using the double welt.

Lay one of the cords inside the fabric strip and fold the fabric around the cord. The fabric should cover the cord with an excess on the right-hand side, equal to the diameter of the cord.

Inserting the first cord when making a double welt cord

Then position the second cord beside the first, ensuring the cord sits on top of the excess fabric, with the raw edge tucked in.

Adding the second length of cord to make the double welt cord

Then flip both lengths of cord over (to the right), so they’re both inside the fabric with the excess fabric to the right.

Both welt cords inside the fabric strip

Thread the Opal 670 with a matching thread in the top and bobbin and attach the Double Welt Cord Foot. Position the two cords within the two grooves on the underside of the foot. I set the stitch length at 2.5.

Preparing to stitch the double welt cord

You can use the FIX function to secure the start and end of your double welt. With the Double Welt Cord Foot, getting a beautiful even stitching line is easy.

An even line of stitching between the two lengths of cord

Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut the excess fabric strip away, leaving a raw edge on the underside of the double welt.

Trim the excess fabric away using a pair of sharp scissors.

The double welt is now ready to attach to your project. Gluing the double welt to the final product is the most common way of attaching the double welt to furniture. You can also use staples between the two cords; however, the staples may show, so the industry prefers the glue method.

So, if you happen to be restoring a piece of furniture and want some decorative trim to conceal those rough edges, it’s super easy to make a double welt and apply it!!

And remember, the cording used for double welt is stiff and not appropriate for garments, and be mindful of the paper version!

The double welt ready for application

Method 2 for making a Double welt cord

There’s another way to use the Double Cord Welt foot, and this one allows you to sew the double welt to your project. You can use the double welt on home decor items such as cushions, or on garments where it’s often used on the edge of pockets, or applied to the strap of a purse or handles of a tote bag. And, I’m sure there are other places you can use the double welt as a decorative trim.

Start with a wide strip of fabric and two lengths of cord. Position the two cords side by side inside the fabric strip with the excess to the right. Notice the big pieces of tape – those tame the ends of the cording.

Inserting the two lengths of cord side by side inside the fold of the fabric

I used the Single Welt Cord Foot to sew alongside the right-hand cord to encase both cords in the fabric. Keep the fabric relatively taut around the cords, but not so tight that the cords bunch up onto each other.

Using the Single Welt Cord Foot to stitch a tube around the two lengths of cord

This is what it looks like after the first line of stitching.

The first seam of the double welt

Next, trim off the excess seam allowance.

The excess fabric trimmed away

Roll the seam allowance to the back while being very careful to keep the two lengths of cord side by side.

The seam allowance is rolled to the back

Attach the Double Welt Cord Foot to the Opal 670 and use threads that match your welt fabric. Position the double welt on your base fabric. Place the two cords in the grooves of the Double Welt Cord Foot and stitch down the middle.

Stitching the double welt to the base fabric

And there it is – your double welt! Isn’t that so much fun! And it was super easy to do.

The double welt stitched to the base fabric

The softer the cording you use, the more flexible it is, and you can stitch some gentle curves.

I have to say, I had a lot of fun this week learning all about piping, welting, cord, and how easy it all is to make with the Husqvarna Viking Opal 670 and the various piping and welt feet. I know I’ll use my piping and welting presser feet more. It’s a fast way to make decorative trim for any project. If you prefer to purchase your piping, it will take even less time!

Be sure to dig out your piping feet and see what you can create. Share your photos – we’d love to see them.

Thanks for following along.

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!

This is part 5 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 4: Piping around corners and seamless joins (EASY tutorial)

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