Sewing cording onto a pillow finishes the edge and adds a professional look

Cording — a rope-like trim with a fabric tube wrapped around it — goes around the perimeter of a pillow cover before you close the seams. You stitch it between the front and back fabric panels so the cord sits in the seam line itself. The finished pillow has a raised, rounded edge that looks tailored and holds its shape better than a flat seam.

The process takes about 30 minutes for a standard 16-inch pillow once you have the materials. You will need the cording itself, a zipper foot or cording foot for your machine, and thread that matches your fabric. The hardest part is turning corners smoothly — the rest is straight stitching.

Key Takeaways

  • Cording attaches to the front panel of your pillow cover before you sew the front and back together, using a zipper foot or cording foot set to the edge of the cord.
  • You must clip the fabric tube of the cording at corners so it bends without bunching, and the clips should reach the cord itself but not cut through it.
  • Stitch the cording down first, then place the back panel on top and sew the front and back together in a second pass, using the first stitching line as your guide.
  • Leave a 3 to 4 inch opening on one side to turn the pillow right-side out and insert the form, then ladder-stitch the opening closed by hand.

What you need before you start

Measure around your pillow form to find how much cording to buy. For a 16-inch square pillow, you need roughly 65 inches of cording (16 × 4 sides, plus a few extra inches for overlap). Buy a yard or two depending on your pillow size — most fabric stores sell cording by the yard, and it costs between $2 and $8 per yard depending on the weight and material.

A zipper foot or cording foot is essential. A regular presser foot cannot get close enough to the cord to stitch it down properly. A zipper foot costs $8 to $15 and works on most machines; a cording foot is more specialized but does the same job. If you do not own one, borrow from a friend or ask at your fabric store whether they have a loaner program.

You will also need thread that matches your fabric, a seam ripper for mistakes, and pins. Have your front and back fabric panels already cut to size and pressed flat.

Attaching cording to the front panel

Pin the cording around the edge of your front fabric panel, starting at the bottom center and working toward a corner. The fabric tube of the cording should sit right at the edge of your fabric, and the cord itself should point outward. Use pins every 2 to 3 inches to hold it in place as you go.

When you reach a corner, stop about 1 inch before the corner point. Clip the fabric tube of the cording at a 45-degree angle — cut from the outer edge toward the cord, stopping just short of cutting the cord itself. This clip lets the cording bend around the corner without the fabric bunching up. Fold the cording around the corner and continue pinning down the next side.

Repeat the clip-and-fold at each corner. Once you have pinned all the way around, overlap the two ends of the cording by about 1 inch. Trim the cord inside the fabric tube so the two cord ends butt together without overlapping, then fold one fabric end inside the other and pin it closed.

Install your zipper foot on your machine and thread it with matching thread. Position the foot so the needle runs right next to the cord, not on top of it. Stitch slowly around the entire perimeter, removing pins as you go. Backstitch at the start and end to lock the thread.

Sewing the front and back panels together

Lay your back panel on top of the front panel with right sides facing each other — the cording will be sandwiched between them. Pin the two panels together, making sure the cording sits flat and does not bunch at any corner.

Using the same zipper foot, stitch around all four sides, staying as close as possible to the line of stitching you just made. This second line of stitching locks the cording in place and joins the two panels. Leave a 3 to 4 inch opening on one side — do not stitch all the way around. Backstitch at the start and end of each seam.

Trim the seam allowance to about 1/4 inch all the way around, being careful not to cut the cording. Clip the corners diagonally, cutting close to the stitching but not through it. These clips let the corners turn crisply without bulk.

Turning and finishing the pillow

Turn the pillow cover right-side out through the opening you left. Use a point turner or the blunt end of a chopstick to push the corners out fully so they are sharp and square. Press the entire pillow cover with an iron, paying special attention to the edges so the cording sits evenly all the way around.

Insert your pillow form through the opening. If the form is slightly larger than the cover, work it in gradually — push one corner in, then the next, rather than trying to shove it all at once.

Close the opening with a ladder stitch, also called a slip stitch. Thread a needle with matching thread and knot the end. Bring the needle up through the fold of fabric on one side of the opening, then cross over and go down into the fold on the opposite side. Travel inside the fold for about 1/4 inch, then come back out and cross over again. The thread runs inside the fold and is nearly invisible from the outside. Stitch the entire opening this way, then knot off the thread inside the seam.

Fixing common mistakes

If your cording bunches at a corner, you did not clip the fabric tube deeply enough. Use a seam ripper to remove the stitching back to the corner, clip deeper, and re-stitch. The clip should go almost to the cord but not through it.

If the cording twists or sits unevenly, you may have pinned it too tightly or stitched too close to the cord itself. The zipper foot should run right next to the cord, not on top of it. If you have already stitched, rip it out and try again with the foot positioned slightly differently.

If the seam allowance is too thick and the pillow corners are bulky, you trimmed too little. Trim the seam allowance down to 1/8 inch and clip the corners more aggressively. The thinner the seam, the crisper the corner.

Alternatives if you do not have a zipper foot

If you cannot find or borrow a zipper foot, you can stitch cording down with a regular presser foot, but it is harder to keep the stitching close to the cord. Move your needle position as far to the left or right as your machine allows, and stitch slowly. You may end up with a slightly looser stitch line, but it will still hold.

Another option is to hand-stitch the cording down using a needle and thread. This takes longer — roughly an hour for a 16-inch pillow — but gives you complete control over how close the stitching sits to the cord. Use a backstitch or running stitch, keeping stitches about 1/8 inch apart.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use piping instead of cording?

Piping is thinner and flatter than cording and attaches the same way — between the front and back panels. It gives a more delicate look. The stitching process is identical; you just do not need to clip as aggressively at corners because piping is more flexible. Both are sewn with a zipper foot.

What if I want cording on both sides of the seam?

You can add a second row of cording to the back panel before you join the two panels together. Attach it the same way you did on the front, then sew the panels together with both rows of cording sandwiched between them. This creates a more ornate look but uses twice as much cording and takes longer.

How do I keep the cording from shifting while I stitch?

Pin every 2 to 3 inches and remove pins as you stitch — do not stitch over pins. Stitch slowly so you have time to adjust if the cording starts to shift. If it does shift, stop, backstitch to lock the thread, remove the foot, reposition the cording, and continue stitching.

Do I need to pre-wash the cording?

Check the label on your cording. Most cotton cording shrinks slightly when washed, so pre-wash it in warm water and dry it flat before you attach it. Synthetic cording usually does not shrink. If you are unsure, wash it — a small amount of shrinkage in the cording is better than discovering it after the pillow is finished.

What stitch length should I use?

Use a medium stitch length, around 2.5 on most machines. This is short enough to hold the cording securely but long enough that you can rip it out easily if you make a mistake. A very short stitch (1.5 or below) makes ripping difficult; a very long stitch (3.5 or above) may not hold the cording firmly.