So back to the Weekender. After cutting all of the pieces, the next step is to make the piping. I decided to use a navy colored heavy weight linen for the cording so that the outline of the bag is more pronounced. The instructions call for using the lining fabric for the piping. I bought 1 yard of heavy weight linen for the piping. Linen is kind of hard to work with...it's stretchier than cotton. And I had to buy a white marking pencil since the fabric is so dark. After cutting out the pieces for the piping, I sewed them together according to the instructions. It's not very clear how to figure out where to sew the seam, but you'll get the hang of it after a few pieces.
Next, the instructions say to use your zipper foot to sew the piping cover around the cotton cording. Make sure you followed the revised materials list and got 6/32" cording instead of 8/32". I followed the advice of the bloggers I mentioned in my first post and used Steam-a-Seam instead of sewing the piping together. It might take a little longer, but it elimates one of many seams against the cording that will be sewed in future steps. The fun parts are coming up next!
