Most of us have probably heard of piping but flat piping is not often discussed. The name actually does a really good job of describing it. It’s just piping without the cord, so, as the name implies, it’s flat. Flat piping may be preferable to regular piping in garments that use lightweight fabric or anywhere that needs to be extra slim. Just like regular piping, flat piping can be used as an accent or embellishment on a garment, bag, pillow or even a quilt.
When I made my dress for the #SewTallAndCreative2017 Design Challenge, I used a flat piping technique to incorporate the second fabric into the garment (see it here). It's a really cool way to add a contrast trim to a garment so I thought I'd share it with you. The fabric I used for my dress was very thin and wobbly and I did not manage to do a perfect trim but it is achievable with slightly heavier fabrics like the ones I use in this tutorial. Here, I'm using a denim for the "garment" and a medium weight poly-blend for the stripe.
Flat piping can be added to any seam but for this tutorial, I show how to attach it to a V-neckline (which is pretty much as tricky as it gets). Read the full tutorial over on the BERNINA We All Sew blog and let me know if you incorporate this technique in any of your garments. Happy sewing!
