Making cording - Do folders help?

[baileyuph]

The question is simply;  anyone use a folder to cover their cording?  Can you prepare the strips of covering material, then in a certain vernacular, put your foot to the metal and have evenly covered cording?

The thrust of this question is to explore any success with folders.

Another thought:  Same question but as it would apply to making double welt. 

Great success with a folder would save considerable time, so any success would be great to know about and the equipment.

Doyle

[ajlelectronics]

I do mine by cutting a strip of material to 1 5/8" then folding around the cord and trapping it under the foot, but not on the cord. I use the cord as a guide for the left side of the foot. That way I can feed the piping into the stitch, keeping the two edged aligned. Then it can be sewn onto the main fabric without making a pincushion of the normal stitch line.

[baileyuph]

Your doing it by folding the fabric around the cord by hand, have you tried using a folder?  Your way, you stop and start the machine after short distances?

As a side question, do you cut with hand shears or a power cutter?

Thanks,

Doyle

[Mike8560]

I've never seen a folder but I know in the vinly sign buisness there are sltters that cut vinyl down to skinny strip maybe that would work if you made a folder to feed it in like binding you couldake some money!
Me you've see. How I do it. 

[ajlelectronics]

Your doing it by folding the fabric around the cord by hand, have you tried using a folder? 

Didn't know there was such an animal.

Your way, you stop and start the machine after short distances?

No not really, I run fairly slowly and make sure the edges are aligned as it goes under the foot.

As a side question, do you cut with hand shears or a power cutter?

I use shears. I have a couple of different power cutters but I can't get the accuracy I can by hand.

[sofadoc]

I would think that, unless you had a seperate machine dedicated to the specific purpose (folder attachment), the time savings would be offset by the extra time installing, and removing the folder.

[baileyuph]

Yes, folders are made to take the strips and fold them over the cord.  In theory, this should speed up the process of making covered welting, especially out of cloth for furniture. 

Since there can be considerable "custom" (key word as this a different process than the "self welting process") cording yardage in furniture, there must be a better way of covering cording like you, I, and probably a lot of others do.  There is potential time savings to be able to generate custom cording as there are many yards that often go into a sofa, for example.

Someone who worked in an upscale factory where cording is prepared as a separate item might provide some meaninful input to this.  The lower end furniture factories do not put cording in seams or if so, they use what is termed as self welting.  The welt cord is covered and sewn in, one step, when the boxing is sewn into a cushion.  Factories have reduced their cost in doing cording by the old method, the one you and I do.  We understand why, don't we.   ;)

Actually, I have a few folders, mine might be low quality engineering which prohibits excellent success.  Yes, to sofa's idea that dedicating a machine to the cording task.  That would be the way to go for higher efficiency.  In addition to sewing the cording, one would want to speed up the process of cutting the strips also.

That is the reason for this post, to find out if someone has a folder that does an outstanding job? 

As far as cutting, I have a power cutter that does a decent job and it is much faster than scissors.  We try to remember that time is money.

Good discussion, maybe we will get some input from folder users.

Doyle

[Mike8560]

I have a vedio here hat I showed how I use my normal foot rifi v the left side on top of the cord maki f a couple cusions this morning I noticed that a slittler would help me in the cutting of the strips I didn't measure I just cjt by eye  but when I make my piping now this is marine seats with polywelt I run full speed pretty much only stopping when I have to start a new strip. I mostly cut my strips across the running the 54" I se my left hand as a folder guiding he vinyl around the Corld. And my right hand like a fence guiding it to the needle.

[fragged8]

man If i lived in the US i wouldn't be making my own unless the customer paid
extra, you guys can buy the pre-made rolls pretty cheap why make it ..

Rich

[Mike8560]

The premade dosent come in the colors I all the colors rich and now I e found it easier to just ake my kwm and it probly saves money.
Like it I had one small cushion with 1 yard of quilted for the plate a yard for the boxing and back maybe I'd gave to buy some premade my way no.

[baileyuph]

Rich, welting and piping are available in several colors, but cording is not.  This is a hard plastic, some even refer to it as beading.

Cording is usually for custom requirements and the filler will vary for cording, depending on what is will be applied to.

Doyle

[Mike8560]

maybe i got it wrong what are we talking about here? i buy polywelt cord  to make what i call piping and others . there is a one piece pipeing avainble ive used that dosent have welt inside and wraped with vinyl.
my way

[baileyuph]

Mike,

I think what you are demonstrating in the picture, where a slice of vinyl is being sewn around a core, is a cording.  The core can vary in material, plastic or tissue filled.

A piping, is made in a plastic  (some solid core, but mostly hollow core) extrusion process and comes out as a finished product in colors.  Piping was used more so in auto interiors, as one example, some 25 years ago. 

In furniture, is a cord is applied, it is usually a tissue filled core wrapped by the furniture fabric.

The term welting, in our circles, is the same as a piping.  But the original term welting was derived from the shoe making industry where the sole and the upper shoe was jointed by a welting.

But, over time we have used so many of these terms loosly to apply to the same things.  Seems regions as well as different generations in general tend to do their own thing.  A good example is skins, now the term applies to about anything that covers anything.  When I got into the trade, the skin term was not used in the upholstery or trimming industry.  Times change, each generation seems to have their own street lingo.   ;)

As long as I understand, I don't get to hung up on terms.

Back to your machine picture displaying a cording process.  I saw that before and it is amazing how you do that with a flat bottom foot.  I tried it on my 111W series and the needle foot just spun in air and the machine would not pull the materials through.  Therefore, your setup works and mine doesn't, my thinking is the difference is the feed dogs.  Yours are bigger than mine which enables the machine to pull the materials through.

I have seen your output and it is beautiful, so I know your technique works, therefore I believe while we might have the same machine the feed dogs used must make the difference.

Doyle

[Mojo]

Times change, each generation seems to have their own street lingo.   ;)

As long as I understand, I don't get to hung up on terms.

Doyle

Therein lies the problem Doyle, especially for newbies. It took me longer to learn the lingo then it did to learn to sew. :)

I still get lost on here when people use lingo to describe something. It is real bad for Marine terminology and I still do not have a clue as to what anyone is talking about half the time. :)

Maybe we need an upholsterers dictionary..:)

Chris

[baileyuph]

Mike,

Another idea to example with your 111W series machine.  Check this out with your handwheel;  slowly turn the handwheel and observe if your needle foot drops below the pressure foot as much as it rises above the same foot.

Just something to check, adjustment of the pressure foot could make some difference between your and my foot.  This might prove out to be futile because you have indicated that not much has been changed on that machine, not even the tension.

Thanks,
Doyle