DIY Post: How to Make Piping

I'm trying to keep busy with plenty of projects so I don't sit around getting anxious for the baby to come. I decided to make some updates to the "baby nook" in our master bedroom. I bought some more of the fabric that I used for the nursery rocking chair, and determined to make some piped cradle bedding, and re-upholster the antique rocker seat (that I refinished a few years ago to a dark stain) in our bedroom (complete with piping around the edging).

After doing some measuring for the bumpers pads, chair, and cutting out the fabric accordingly, I started work on the piping.

Piping is so easy and I'm so glad I decided to figure out how to do it!

All you need is some piping cord that you can get at any fabric store, some bias cut fabric, and a piping foot for your sewing machine (see picture below).

Wrap the fabric around the cord and stitch as close as you can to the edge of the cord. Voila! You have piping!

Attaching the piping to the bumper pads was easy as well. I just pinned the cord to the fabric cover for the pad and again stitched right along the edge of the cording.

I then wrapped the fabric around, inside out, to attach the other edge of the bumper cover to the piping.

It looks like the picture below when you turn the fabric inside out!

I bought nu-foam crib bumper size pads that I measured and cut down to cradle bumper size, and inserted those into the bumper covers.

The edges I simply pinned together...

and then handstitched close.

For the ties, I decided I wanted to use jute cord. I like the natural/raw edge it gives. I just handsewed the ties on each corner of the pads.

For the corners of the bumper, I cut the bumper pad in half before inserting it in the cover, and then stitched one line right up the middle of the cover. Now it folds perfectly.

Here is the finished product. Simple and clean lines. The colors match our bedroom, so the cradle can stay in our room indefinitely! (Don't know that hubby will appreciate that).

Reupholstering a seat cover is even simpler than making bumper pads, and I do it every so often to all the upholstered seats in our house just to update their look and keep the fabric fresh.

All you do is turn the chair upside down.

Find the screws that keep the seat attached to the chair and unscrew.

Pull off the old material. In my case, I pulled off only one layer of old material, but left the original to give it some extra padding underneath.

Cut your fabric, leaving plenty of excess fabric on every edge.

Use a staple gun to pull the fabric tight, taking care at the corners so you don't have any ripples when you turn the seat right side up.

If you want to add piping like I did, just staple the piping around the edge after the seat fabric cover is already stapled on.

To close the piping together, I just stapled them across each other like so:

You don't even notice the seam when you turn it right side up!

Turn the seat cover right side up, place it back on the chair and screw it in place.

Now you have a freshly upholstered seat cover!

And I now have a sweet little baby nook that matches the rest of the decor in my room!