How To Sew Piping On A Pillow (Step By Step Tutorial)

Adding piping is one of those small details that instantly makes a pillow look custom instead of store-bought. This step-by-step tutorial shows you exactly how to sew piping on a pillow, so you can get crisp corners and a polished finish even if you’re just getting started.

Piping or trim isn’t absolutely necessary for a cushion, but it definitely makes your cushions look like a professional sewed them!

Piping (or welting as it is sometimes called) comes in many different colors and styles, so you can easily find something that goes with your cushion.

Supplies

• The fabric for your cushion. If you’re not sure how to cut out your cushion fabric, you can find our tutorial on sewing envelope cushions HERE and our step by step instructions for making box cushions HERE.
• Sewing machine
• Piping foot* or zipper foot*
• Piping

A Couple Of Tips

Tip #1: If you have a piping foot for your sewing machine, you will want to put that on now as it makes sewing piping much easier.  If not, the zipper foot will also work.

Tip #2: You will need enough piping to go all the way around the outside of your cushion…so for an 18″ square pillow that would be 18″ x 4 sides plus a few extra inches for joining…or about 78″.

1 | Pin The Piping To The Fabric

Lay the front piece of the cushion out on the table with the right side up. 

If you are making an envelope cushion, this is the fabric piece that does not have the zipper in it.

For box cushions, you will need to repeat the same process for both the top and bottom pieces of fabric.

Pin piping around the edges of the fabric so that the raw edge of the piping meets the raw edge of the fabric.

Start the piping in the middle of an edge (rather than at the corners).

Cut the corners off of the piping to allow it to turn smoothly.  

Make sure not to cut through the thread on the piping when you do this.

2 | Join the piping ends

When you get back around to the start, cut off the piping so that there is some overlap (the end should extend past the start by at least 1″).

You can also do this to join pieces together if you don’t have long enough pieces of piping to go all the way around your cushion.

If your piping as a remove-able cover, remove the last few stitches from the end of the piping cover. Fold the fabric back to expose the piping cord.

If not, continue with the next step.

Cut the end of the cord so that it matches up to the start of the cord on the cushion.

Cutting the piping on an angle makes it easier to match them without a bump

Make sure that the ends meet.

If your piping has a fabric cover: (Otherwise continue to the next step)

• Fold the cut edge of the piping fabric under.
• Then wrap the extra piping fabric around the two cord ends so that they are covered.

3 | Sew the piping to the fabric

Before you start sewing, change the stitch length on your sewing machine to a basting stitch (probably the longest stitch length available).

Sew the piping to the fabric, removing the pins as you go.  Go slowly around the corners to make sure they hold their shape.

The piping will get sewn in again when you put the rest of your cushion together, so a basting stitch is all you need for now.

That’s all there is to it! The piping join is hardly visible when you’re done.

And the finished pillow looks very polished.

Have comments or questions about how to sew piping on a pillow? Tell us in the section below.