Martha Shmartha: PB Cord Cover Knock-Off Tutorial

While ~~drooling over~~ browsing the Pottery Barn catalog, I came across this:

It's a burlap cover for the hanging cord on a chandelier. Immediately I thought of the chandelier that we have hanging in our dining room, and of course imagined it in red. Then I went to work. Here's my version:

It was actually fairly simple to make, once I figured out how I wanted to make it. I wasn't sure if I should actually gather the fabric, or just make it long enough that it would scrunch itself on the cord. I finally decided on gathering, which I think was the right choice. Enough talking--Here's the tutorial.

Supplies

Fabric--I used 100% cotton. You'll need (Length x1.75) + (Circumference of the cord +1").

Fusible Interfacing

Thread (Match your fabric)

Sewing Machine

Snaps

Step 1

Cut your fabric to the dimensions described above. The x1.75 is for gathering and seam allowance (.5"), and the +1" is for the .5" seam allowance. I am NOT a sewer, so please don't judge me too harshly on my technique/vocabulary here. Please.

Step 2

Cut your fusible interfacing to 1" less than the length and 1" less than the width of your fabric. (One inch off of one side and one inch off of the top.)

Step 3

According to the directions on the package, iron the fusible interfacing to the wrong side of your fabric. The interfacing gives some strength to the fabric, which helps it stand up, instead of slinking down the cord.

Step 4

Hem the top and bottom, i.e. the width, of the fabric. I didn't do anything fancy for my hem. I simply folded it down to the fusible interfacing (.5"), pinned it, then sewed.

Step 5

Pin the hem (same method as Step 4) on both of the remaining sides (lengths). Then fold your fabric in half lengthwise. You'll end up with a long rectangle. (My fabric was a little bit see-through, which is why I used two layers.) Now you're going to re-pin the hems together. So, keeping the hems folded in, pin the fabric together.

Step 6

Using a basting stitch, sew the two sides together (along the hem line). Gather the fabric until it is the actual length of your chandelier cord. Sew over the basting stitches using a short stitch length. Backstitch at the beginning and end. (This will hold your gathers.)

Step 7

Use a basting stitch to sew .5" in from the folded edge, the entire length of the fabric. (Sew a parallel line to the one in Step 6, but on the folded edge, instead of the open edge). Gather the fabric until it is also the actual length of the cord. Sew over the basting stitches using a short stitch length. Backstitch at the beginning and end.

Step 8

Sew on your snaps, being careful that they match up on each side. Place your snaps so that only one seam shows--One snap goes directly under the gathers (on the wrong side of the fabric), while the other snap goes on the right side of the fabric, next to the gathers. Sorry, I don't have a picture of this. I'll get one up as soon as I can.

Now you can climb up on a chair and snap that sucker on! Enjoy!