Can you guess what my favorite embellishment is? I use it on most projects I make and I never tire of making it or thinking up new ways to use it. Can’t guess? Why it’s Machine Wrapped Cording of course.
If you’ve never heard of machine wrapped cording, it’s simply a piece of cording that you make using yarn, nice top thread, and the zig-zag stitch on your sewing machine. If you’re looking for the tutorial for machine wrapped cording, you can find it here.
Machine wrapped cording is a really versatile embellishment and can be made slim and elegant, or chunky and funky depending on what technique you use to make it. It’s best feature is that it can be made to coordinate with your projects in either color or texture or both.
I mention this of course because I have a new book coming out very shortly, all about machine wrapped cording. You can find more details here. But in the meantime, there are some of the ways that I use it…
I use it a lot on book wraps as a wrap-around tie …
For edging and wrap-around ties on my fabric journals …
I use it for edging and also to hide the joined edges on my fabric boxes …
As well as for more functional purposes as part of the closure on the lid of this fabric box …
You can also use it with the circular sewing attachment to edge circular applique blocks ….
And for decorative elements on art quilts …
If you haven’t tried machine wrapped cording yet, give it a try.
You can find lots of free embellishment tutorials in the tutorials section of my blog which can be found here, and even more techniques can be found on my Titivations DVD. Please visit the store for full details.
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I have been making machine wrapped cording since I learned about it from you. I usually use colored satin cording — I think it’s called rattail or mousetail, some kind of rodent — with contrasting thread. Among other things, it makes a great loop fastener to go over a button.
Thanks for the tip Donna
(PS – it’s rattail, silly name but works a treat)
I’ve tried it out as well, after reading your tutorials, using several strands of sari silk yarn twisted together. If the stitch length is set to as long as it can go, you pretty much cannot see the stitching and end up with a wonderfully strong cord that will make a shoulder strap for a bag. You have to take it slowly and manipulate the sari silk a bit, but the extra care is well worth the result! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing Caroline. Sari silk is lovely and I can see it being a perfect bag strap – I’ll have to give it a try