I made a pillow for my new chair! So as far as sewing projects go, pillows are pretty simple. I thought I'd fancy things up a bit by adding piping around the edges. Turns out that it's still pretty simple. If you're feeling saucy you can make your own corded piping with bias tape and cord, but this is the first time I've worked with piping so I used something ready made.
For a square pillow you will need:
Fabric cut into whichever shape you'd like your pillow to be. I cut my fabrics into 19" x 19" squares. Corded Piping long enough for the perimeter of your pillow (19" x 4 edges + some wiggle room) Matching thread * Stuffing (alternately, you can add a zipper and use a pillow form) Sewing Machine with a zipper foot Other helpful things like pins, scissors, ruler, fabric pencil, etc
Start pinning your piping to the right side of your front fabric piece with the edges of the tape along the edges of your fabric. For corners, snip the tape so the piping is easier to bend and pin in place. For my square pillow, I began curving the piping at 1.5" from the corner, but it's entirely up to you how strong or soft you want those corners.
Using your zipper foot, make sure your needle comes down right next to
the cord. Give yourself an inch or so of space at the beginning of your piping before you start sewing. You'll need it when you finish the seam where the pieces of cording meet. Take corners slowly to get nice, clean
rounded edges.
To finish the ends of the piping, open up the cording on one end about an inch or so. Trim the end of the cord down to where you started stitching, leaving the fabric cover intact. Fold the trimmed fabric edge under a little bit and tuck the other end of the piping into the fabric cover so the ends of the cord meet and the folded edge of fabric covers the joint. Stitch the pieces in place. This photo might help if it sounds confusing.
Pin your front and back fabrics with right sides together, leaving enough space for you to fit your hand in and flip everything right side out once you're done. Continue sewing with your zipper foot and do your best to stay as close to the piping as possible. I found it easiest to sew with my old stitches facing up so I had a guide to follow.
Lastly, it's time to flip things right side out and fill your pillow with stuffing. Hand stitch the opening (try a slip stitch or something similarly discreet) and admire your handiwork!
* Note: I matched my thread to the pillow fabric, but it might have been better to match to the piping. Although it isn't noticeable unless you're looking closely, I ended up with white stitches on part of the green piping when I didn't sew close enough to the cord.
